The Village Mercenary
by ColdDecemberNight
Summary: Naruto Uzumaki, who once dreamed of being Hokage is now Deathstroke The Terminator after losing his fiancee, Sakura to Sasuke during a mission. With a bounty on his head, countless enemies and dreams shattered, he meets the original Deathstroke, Slade Wilson who offers him a new darker lease in life.
1. Chapter 1

**The Village Mercenary**

**This is my first Naruto/ Deathstroke/DC Superheroes crossover. I'm a huge fan of Deathstroke and I just thought because I had planned on writing a Naruto fic five years back it never happened. So now, I'm putting thoughts to paper.**

**Naruto POV**

How did I end up like this? What happened to my lifelong goal of being Konoha's Hokage? Was it just a whim? A quixotic dream? Whatever it was, it vanished in the blink of an eye ever since I ran away from my village. I used to be the village hero, a role model for kids and most importantly, a loyal warrior. But now I kill people for money.

More accurately, I'm a mercenary who works for rich bastards whom don't want to soil their hands with blood.

Yes, my name is Naruto Uzumaki, but better known as Deathstroke the Terminator. I'm the third deadliest assassin in the whole wide world or maybe fourth…the top three probably being Deadshot, Deadpool and the original Deathstroke, Slade Wilson.

I was accused of murder by my own sensei after my best friend, Sasuke killed my fiancée, Sakura during a battle a few years back. We got engaged when we were twenty-two years old. I'm actually twenty-five years old now.

My whole world crumbled before my eyes as I saw Sakura's lifeless body being tossed aside by that deranged killer. Her hollow emerald orbs screamed agony as she gave me a withering look right before she died. I was completely apoplectic with rage and I wanted to just scream and rip everything to pieces but instead of offering me comfort, my sensei, Kakashi fabricated some slanderous story about me conspiring with Sasuke to murder my own fiancée.

**Flashback( three years ago)…..**

" Sasuke, you know that I have my orders to stop you, even if it means killing you," a bloodied Sakura panted as she clutched her broken rib. Kakashi barely had any energy left in him after using the Mangekyo Sharingan against Sasuke.

" Keep dreaming that you'll ever be able to stop me now," Sasuke sneered as he thrust his blade forward but Sakura evaded it and plunged her kunai into his side but it disappeared into a cloud of smoke and before she knew it, cold hard steel pressed against her throat while another hand gripped her arm.

" It's not like you to get tricked by a Shadow clone, Sakura," Sasuke chided as he pressed the blade harder on her throat. Sakura attempted to force her way out of his grip but she knew that he would kill her in a heartbeat.

" Sasuke, stop it! You don't have to do it!" Kakashi roared from the side but Sasuke didn't even bat an eyelid and just breathed down the pink-haired ninja's neck.

" You're wrong, Kakashi. I need to prove a point to you irritating Konoha dirtbags so I suggest that you keep your quiet."

" Sasuke, you know that I'm still your friend and the Sasuke I knew would never hurt a friend." Sakura whispered to him but his grip around her arm tightened and he grit his teeth.

" I am not your friend anymore. I am not the person you admired years ago and I definitely won't hesitate in killing you right now," Sasuke retorted.

" Sasuke! Let Sakura go now!" Naruto bellowed from the other end of the stream.

In a flash, Naruto was charging towards the raven-haired boy, brandishing a sharp kunai.

" Naruto, you have to stop Sasuke now before he kills her," Kakashi said as Naruto presses his kunai on Sasuke's throat.

Sasuke was genuinely shocked. Naruto's speed and agility really had increased since the last time they had fought.

" I'm warning you. Your fight is with me and not her, so release her. Stop being such a coward. We're here to bring you back home" Naruto said.

" Go on Naruto, kill him now…..he isn't messing around anymore," Kakashi thought to himself as he could sense the fear behind Sakura's calm demeanour.

" Would you kill me now, if you had to?" Sasuke calmly asked and Naruto looked stunned at him.

" No. I'm not going to kill you after I spent countless years chasing you and convincing you to come back to the village. You're still my best friend," Naruto said sadly as his press of his kunai on Sasuke's throat decreased.

" You're still the same fool I despise, Naruto," Sasuke muttered as he released Sakura from his grasp and in one quick motion stabbed her heart with his blade.

Naruto and Kakashi were rooted to the spot as they were both catatonically stood there as Sasuke removed his blade from her and let her lifeless corpse drop to the ground.

" You'll never be able to defeat me until you channel all your hatred into your powers and let them feed upon the darkness that swallows you. Naruto, the next time we meet, will be your last," Sasuke said coldly before disappearing into a cloud of smoke.

Kakashi clenched his fists and sent Naruto crashing into a tree with a powerful punch to his jaw. Naruto spat out a wad of blood and looked incredulous at his sensei.

" What the hell was that for?" Naruto roared as Kakashi knelt over Sakura's lifeless body and cradled her in his arms.

" For being weak. How could you let him kill her!? Why the hell didn't you stick the bloody kunai into his throat? You know why? Because you still have this fucking whimsical idea of coaxing him to come back to the village. Have you learnt nothing at all? Emotions only get in the way. I lost Obito due to my emotions last time and I hope you're happy that you lost you're fiancée," Kakashi said coldly as he carried Sakura's corpse out of the stream.

Naruto's hands started shaking as tears began streaming down his face. He howled in agony as he began weeping uncontrollably and cuddled Sakura. " I'm so sorry that I let my emotions cloud my judgement. I let Sasuke kill you and I failed to protect you…..We were supposed to get married next month," Naruto whispered to her.

" Sakura! Sakura! I'm so sorry I let this happen to you! I didn't even get to tell you how much I love you for the last time," Naruto sobbed as Kakashi couldn't help but feel utter resentment towards the blonde ninja.

Kakashi was still angry at Naruto for beating him in winning Sakura's affection and he nearly went mad with rage after the announcement of their engagement. He began giving Naruto the cold shoulder and even began to ignore him, much to Naruto's bewilderment.

" I'm going to make sure that you suffer when we get back to the village, Naruto. Forgive me Minato-sensei for being so selfish but it was Naruto's fault at the end of the day," he muttered as he knocked Naruto out with his Sharingan.

Back at the village, Kakashi explained to Tsunade that Naruto refused to kill Sasuke which led to Sakura's demise and that Naruto did not even attempt to save his comrade, placing his personal goal ahead of the mission. Word soon got round the village and everyone began ostracizing Naruto before ANBU apprehended him and brought him to Tsunade's office for his punishment.

" Naruto, I am greatly disappointed in you after hearing the mission report from Kakashi. You let my apprentice die at the hands of that Uchiha psychopath and what pisses me off even more is the fact that you valued your obsolete friendship higher than your own fiancée. Really brat, I am really disappointed in you. However, your actions bear heavy penalties and I hereby strip you of all your ranks and you are banned from any B-class and above ninja missions. Furthermore, you are going to be reeducated by Ibiki to banish this obsession with bringing back Sasuke" Tsunade told him.

As Naruto was being escorted by two ANBU ninjas to Ibiki, Naruto knew deep down that his life in the village was over and that many villagers were after his head.

He broke free from them and began fleeing but they called for backup and soon, he was surrounded by them. These ninjas were trained to kill their targets so Naruto had no other option than to kill them after they were close to decapitating him several times.

" The other ANBU will probably come looking for their comrades after they realize that they have been missing for a few hours. I better leave the village now," Naruto thought to himself as he stole one last glance of Konoha before fleeing into the forest.

There was soon a bounty on his head and other nations were alerted by Tsunade to be vigilante and try their best in apprehending him.

Naruto had to resort to living in a cave in a secluded part of the forest where hardly anybody was to be found. He began living his life as a hermit and repented for his failure in protecting his fiancée. Soon, he was consumed with hatred for himself, Sasuke and the whole of Konoha. He began to despise his years as a ninja and all the memories that came with it. The once happy-go lucky, cheerful, cheeky and idiotic ninja was replaced with a sullen, cold, uncaring and vengeful young man.

He had given up on life and began wasting his days away by sleeping and staring mindlessly at the scenery. His ambitions were in tatters, his hopes were brutally crushed and he was a fugitive.

" Maybe I should just end my miserable existence on Earth now. I have nothing to live for anymore. Every ninja wants my head on a silver platter, my friends have turned against me and my fiancée is dead. So much for being Hokage," he muttered to himself as he traced the sharp tip of the kunai with his finger.

" Oh well, it's been fun… I'll see you soon Sakura." Naruto thought to himself as he prepared to stab himself in the heart until a voice interrupted him.

" There were many times that I contemplated suicide but I didn't give in. I decided that why should I pay for a mistake that wasn't entirely at fault for? I should be killing those bastards who took away everything from me. After all, an eye for an eye," a voice called out behind Naruto.

Naruto spun around to see a decrepit old man with long grey hair tied into a ponytail and a black eye-patch covering his right eye. He hobbled to Naruto and looked amused at the blonde ninja who drew his kunai.

" Who the hell are you and how did you find me? Were you sent here by a village to kill me old geezer? If so, let me warn you that you're going to regret it," Naruto hissed but the old man just snorted and drew his Glock at him.

" I have no idea what the fuck you're saying boy, but don't think that you can threaten me. I promise you that I will blow your brains out before you even take another breath," the old man said coldly and Naruto dropped his kunai while the old man placed his Glock back in his holster.

" I'm Slade Wilson, also known as Deathstroke the Terminator. I don't think that you have heard of me though," Slade shrugged as he shook Naruto's hand.

Naruto shook his head and eyes the Caucasian man carefully. He was a medium sized buffed man, despite his age and his left eye had no warmth or kindness in them.

" I'm Naruto Uzumaki. I used to be a ninja from Konoha….until I became a fugitive," he muttered and Slade looked amused at him before convincing him to pour out his entire story.

" You know, you somewhat remind me of myself back in my younger days. I lost my family due to some hitmen because my house got burned down and my son was kidnapped. I had lied to my wife about being a safari hunter when I was really a mercenary. When I came clean to her, she shot me in my right eye and I was shocked. I knew that my family hated me and so, I left afterwards, thinking that it was best to stay out of my wife and son's lives so that I didn't need to make them suffer even more than they already did. Then, I completely became Deathstroke and thrived on killing people," Slade told Naruto who quietly hung his head.

" But you're not even from my world. Where exactly did you come from?"

Slade snorted told him how Zatanna had transported him hundreds of years back to feudal Japan just as he was about to kill Batman and her in a fight in Gotham City.

" Since I had travelled back hundreds of years, the time loop must have caused me to age rapidly. I can't believe that I'm eighty years old now. I landed here and killed a couple of guys who wanted to rob me. Ever since then, I've been keeping a low profile here," Slade sighed and silently cursed Zatanna.

" I'm sorry to hear that Slade but I don't think I can help you. If you're story was supposed to cheer me up, well, it just exacerbated the problem. Now, I feel as if this whole world is nothing but a place for assholes and therefore, I want no part of it" Naruto decided.

" You're a really bad liar. I can see that you're itching to exact revenge on those who destroyed your life and let me tell you something, you're not going to last a day with those ninjas lurking around the borders of this forest. I think you have potential, kid." Slade chuckled before lighting his cigarette.

" Potential? For what?"

" To take over my job as the new Deathstroke. I'm too fucking old to kick some ass and the joints in my fingers crack when I pull the triggers of my pistols. Which other candidate would be suitable enough than a guy who lost his family and is lusting for blood? On top of that, a guy who kills people on a daily basis. Well Naruto, it's your choice. I can train you and help you quench your thirst for revenge," Slade growled.

Naruto hesitated for a while before memories of Sakura began flooding his mind.

" Fine, I'm in. But I'm going use my powers only on the people who wronged me," Naruto attested to Slade who sneered at him.

" Keep telling yourself that, kid. But mark my words, once you've gained the power and abilities that you could only dream of, killing people for sport or money becomes addictive," Slade said before bringing him to his hideout.

" Nice place you got here," Naruto said sarcastically but Slade just shrugged and knocked him out with a punch to the cheek.

" Sorry kid but I need you to stay quiet while I inject this soldier serum into you. This serum is made from by blood and other chemicals that are designed to stimulate the adrenal gland which I stole from some village. Hopefully, you don't die in the coma," Slade said as he injected the serum into the blonde man's limp body.

**Flashback end….**

Well, that's how it was. Slade trained me in every fighting technique I knew and I had successfully inherited his godly abilities such as accelerated health regeneration, super strength and maximum brain efficiency. He molded me into an excellent marksman and a ruthless killer who killed professionally and for good reason.

Slade passed away last year after he had a stroke and I laid him to rest at the place where we first met. I can't thank him enough for crafting a new life for me and giving me the chance to kill the people I despise.

Honestly, I'm enjoying my life right now. I'm rolling in cash and I have no real worries of being killed by anyone, not even Sasuke. He is the one that should be scared of me because sooner or later, we will cross paths again. And when we do, its curtains for him.

**Naruto POV end**

The blonde mercenary sipped a cup of tea in his wooden cottage in the forest as he ironed his orange-dark blue Deathstroke costume while humming a jolly tune.

Naruto's eyebrows furrowed as he picked up a letter dropped at the doorstep of his cottage. It was addressed to him.

As his eyes scanned through the contents of the letter, he broke out into a smirk and crumpled the paper.

" Ten million dollars for such a satisfying task this time. I've been waiting for this request for a long time," Naruto laughed as he began to prepare for his long awaited return to Konoha- not as Naruto Uzumaki or the Jinchuriki, but as Deathstroke the Terminator.

**I hope you guys liked the first part of my story and don't forget to review and tell me what you think. See you guys soon.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

" When was the last time we did an escort mission, huh? We always have to clean up the trash," Tenten laughed as Team Guy approached The Hidden Sand village which signified the success of their escort mission.

" I have to admit that it was a rather easy one and surprised that it was classified as an A-rank mission," Neji said calmly as he followed closely behind their client.

" Fear not my fellow friends for I'm sure that our burning desire to complete a more challenging task will prove useful to us in our upcoming battles," Lee pumped his fist in the air while his other two teammates just rolled their eyes.

" Sure thing. Just as long as you don't use it all up on this mission," Neji sniffed as Lee gave him the thumbs up and flashed him his signature smile- brimming with confidence and joy.

" Alright team, we will be spending the night here and be leaving for home at the crack of dawn so I expect you three to get a good night's rest and recuperate while I accompany our client to the Kazekage's office," Guy grinned and ushered them to their respective quarters.

" You have a very disciplined team there, sensei," his client smiled politely and Guy puffed up in pride as he basked in the single compliment he received.

" Thank you sir and that's only the tip of the iceberg. My team is the most fearless, youthful, energetic and courageous team you will ever meet. The training regime that I put them through…."

" Ahem…." Kankuro smirked as he interrupted Guy's passionate diatribe regarding his team.

" Gaara's waiting for the both of you in his office. He requests to see the both of you immediately," Temari chimed in as she lead them into the Kazekage building.

As the sun set, the few thin strips of clouds on the horizon turned shimmering gold and the streets began to clear as the village inhabitants were busy preparing dinner for their family or heading home from work.

Neji didn't join the rest of the team for an early dinner as he was moderately full from consuming a plateful of sweet buns during tea. The lingering light was obliterated by the rapidly falling night. The once salmon and purple sky transformed into a vast expanse of jet-black that engulfed the town. A canopy of luminous stars materialized amongst the ocean of blackness. Some were dull, merely flickering into existence every now and then, but there was an adequate amount of shimmering stars to illuminate the dark, moonless night. The lake glistened, mirroring the dazzling assemblage of glittering stars and the luminescence from the restaurants and brightly-lit houses.

The mouth-watering scent of yakisoba from a nearby stall forced his way through his nostrils and delved into his head as he couldn't help but head towards the direction of the stall.

" Yes madam, I would like a plate of udon and some fish croquettes please," Neji smiled courteously at the old stall manager while he fished a few dollars from his wallet.

Neji was about to sink his teeth into his scrumptious looking dinner when he heard a tutting sound behind him.

He spun around to find a figure clad in a dark blue, tight and chainmail-style uniform, with orange underpants on the outside orange gloves that almost extend to his elbow, orange boots which are folded and last but not least, his mask which was half dark blue and orange with the right eye covered and the other eye showing at the orange part. A Promethium sword was strapped across his back with two pistols in their holsters on each side.

" You gave me a hard time finding you. I thought that you would still be hanging around in the dump of a village you call Konoha but it seemed that you were here on a mission" Naruto mused and advanced towards Neji who dropped his food and assumed a fighting stance.

" Who are you and why do you dress like that? Are you part of the Akatsuki?" Neji growled as the veins in his forehead began to be visible.

Deathstroke gave a cruel laugh and snorted in disgust. " Don't associate me with such weaklings. They are nothing but scumbags, waiting to be picked off one by one. As for you, Neji, that's the last meal you're going to eat in this lifetime," Naruto said as he drew his Beretta 92 FS' and began firing quick rounds at the ninja.

" Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven!" Neji called out as he began spinning around at a high velocity while being enveloped by a chakra shield. The bullets were easily repelled by the shield and Naruto whistled as he drew his Promethium sword and tossed a hand grenade towards Neji.

Neji's eyes widened as the grenade detonated-its impact sending him hurling back into a brick wall. Neji crumpled onto the floor and wiped the trickle of blood from his nose.

He proceeded to activate his Byakugan but he was shocked as he could not see the chakra networks on Deathstroke.

Naruto did a graceful jump before bringing his sword down towards Neji who rolled away just in time. Neji sent Naruto reeling with a strong uppercut before a flurry of punches and kicks began raining down on Naruto.

Naruto staggered and Neji lined up for another blow to the face but Naruto caught his fist in his hand and proceeded to slowly crush all the bones in his fist. Neji let out a grunt of pain and tried to wriggle free but it was futile.

" You can't beat me with such basic attacks. Let me rephrase that, you piece of shit. Don't ever dream of beating me. I've beaten you when we were kids but only this time, I'm going to put a bullet through your empty skull," Naruto growled and sent Neji sprawling with a powerful punch to the face.

" Before I forget, my name is Deathstroke and no hard feelings about this buddy. But I'm a mercenary and someone paid me to kill you so I'm just doing my job," Naruto said as he succeeded in making Neji double up again with a roundhouse kick to the gut.

" Who is this guy? After all those punched and kicks that I inflicted upon him and yet, there isn't a single scratch on him. Furthermore, he looks as if he's actually having fun?!"

Neji jumped up and threw a few kunais at the anti-hero but Naruto just chuckled as they impaled his body.

Neji's eyes widened and he began to curse. " Ten knives in his body and he still looks as if he's taking a stroll in the park" Neji thought as he dodged another blow from his sword.

" Neji, why don't you just save us the trouble and stop fucking around?" Naruto said as he grabbed Neji by the throat and increased the pressure on his throat. Neji squirmed but it was useless as Naruto hurled him through the wall of a wooden house.

Naruto strolled over to the still body of Neji lying among the debris and pulled out his Beretta, aimed at the back of his head and squeezed the trigger.

" You used to be my friend Neji but I all that changed when you began ostracizing me and boycotting my family. I hope you suffer in hell," Naruto said but the bleeding body disappeared into a puff of smoke and Naruto's eyes widened.

" What? A clone?"

" Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!" the real Neji roared as he began striking Naruto relentlessly for sixty-four times and the latter couldn't help but feel slightly dizzy.

" Well, Deathstroke, I hope that you regret for underestimating the power of the Hyuga clan," Neji said calmly before stepping back and moving his arms forward.

" Gentle fist!" Neji uttered as he planted a fist to the mercenary's heart- the sounds of his ribcage cracking and organs splitting echoing through the street as the impact blew Naruto through the food stalls.

Neji wiped the sweat from his eyebrow and clutched his sides. His ribs were broken and he had fractured his nose but he began to hobble back to alert his team.

However, the sound of gunshot rang in the night as Neji stumbled forward with Naruto standing triumphantly behind him while brandishing his Beretta. Neji winced in pain as his calf was bleeding profusely from the bullet embedded in his skin.

" How could you have survived that attack? That should have severed your vital organs and kill you instantly?" Neji said through gritted teeth but Naruto just shook his head and shot his other leg.

Neji screamed in pain as Naruto stepped on his stomach and cocked his head to the left.

" Ho could I have survived? Well, simply because I'm in a different league than you assholes. Once you guys are depleted of chakra, all you have left is your half-baked hand-to-hand combat which is pathetic. I hardly broke a sweat in today's battle and here I was, expecting the great Hyuga prodigy to give me a good workout," Deathstroke feigned disappointment and aimed the barrel of his Beretta at Neji's forehead.

" I'm surprised that you can't see through my costume with your Byakugan, Neji. ," Naruto chuckled as Neji squinted at the masked mercenary and his jaw dropped.

" No way…..It cannot be. Naru…." but Naruto clamped his mouth shut and he hissed.

" One of these days, you're going too get yourself killed because of that big mouth of yours," Naruto said as he punched Neji across the face once more.

" Why are you doing this? Why are you dressed like that? Naruto, please answer me," Neji gave a hoarse plea but Naruto just released his foot from Neji's stomach and turned away.

" Why, you ask? It's because I have ten million dollars waiting for me back home," Naruto said and shot Neji in the forehead without looking back.

Deathstroke looked at the crowd of villagers surrounding him and they began muttering in fear but he just ignored them and prepared to head back home.

" Stop! You murderer! Come back and face me!" Lee roared in anger as he ran towards the mercenary at full speed but Naruto calmly dodged his lightning quick punch, drew his Beretta and shot him in the thigh. Lee crumpled to the ground and clutched his thigh in pain.

" Lee!" Tenten shouted as she prepared to charge at Deathstroke but Guy stopped her and slowly looked at Naruto square in the eye with a never seen before aura of rage and power. Tenten slowly backed away from Guy who clenched his fists and called out to him.

" Konoha will capture you and we will bring you to justice for killing one of our own," Guy said calmly as Tenten wept over Neji's bloody corpse.

Deathstroke just looked bored and placed his Beretta back into his holster.

" I have no time to waste on small fry like you. Your shit village can send an army to capture me if they want to but I promise you that I'll slaughter each and every last one of them. Normally, I don't kill without getting paid but I'll make an exception for my fellow villagers. Deathstroke is my name Guy and don't any of you fools forget that," Naruto said ominously before disappearing into a cloud of smoke.

" Fellow villagers? How does he know our names? Is he from Konoha as well? I better report this to Tsunade immediately. This new foe of ours must be strong, if he managed to dispatch such an accomplished shinobi like Neji without breaking a sweat," Guy told Tenten who carried Lee to the hospital while Guy cleaned up the corpse.

"Deathstroke…..but his voice sounds so familiar." Tenten thought to herself.

" Here is the ten million dollars that I owe you Deathstroke," a burly man in a business suit said as he handed over a leather briefcase bulging with notes to the masked mercenary.

" I hope that the task wasn't too hard for you," the man chuckled as he lit a cigar but Deathstroke just snorted on the way out.

" You forget who you're dealing with here Mr. Goto. I hope that the Gato company will hire me again to eradicate more of those shinobi scumbags for they bring such satisfaction to me," Naruto said but Mr. Goto just waved him away.

" Don't worry Deathstroke, you'll get another chance to stick a knife through them again," laughed as Naruto's lip curled in satisfaction.

" I sure hope I do," Naruto muttered to himself and headed back home.

" WHAT?!" Tsunade roared as Guy stoically delivered the mission report to the enraged Hokage.

" This Deathstroke appears out of nowhere and kills Neji while putting a bullet through Lee's thigh? Guy, if this isn't the sign of revenge then I don't know what is."

" But he said that he only killed for money and that someone paid him to kill Neji," Tenten argued but Guy shushed her.

" I fear that she may be right. Our new foe may not harbor any ill-feelings towards us but was merely carrying out his job. Tsunade, we have to find out the party responsible for hiring him and the reasons for this vendetta before he strikes again," Guy said and Tsunade agreed.

" Perhaps we should capture this Deathstroke and interrogate him. Find out everything that is to know about his agenda and the whereabouts of his employer," Tsunade said.

" Kakashi, I want you to lead Team Three on this hunt for Deathstroke. Sai and Yamato are away on another mission and Team Guy is in poor shape. Bring him back alive using any means necessary," Tsunade briefed the silver-haired jonin who nodded and vanished.

" Shikimaru, Ino and Choji. Prepare for tomorrow's mission. We leave at 0700 hours. Remember, this is a S-class mission so I expect your full cooperation and teamwork," Kakashi told the three jonin. The three young jonin saluted and headed back to their own quarters while Kakashi went to console a distraught Hiashi and a depressed Hinata.

" I can't believe it. Neji is…gone for good," muttered Shikamaru as he flopped down on his bed.

Ino and Choji looked down at the wooden floor in silence and Ino let out a small sniff. " Although I found him irritating and too uptight sometimes, but he was a great friend and an excellent shinobi. He was part of our Chunin gang that grew up together and now, we didn't even get to say goodbye to him."

" Shikamaru, why would anyone want to kill Neji? He has never been a primary target for any of our enemies. Plus, how could he have been killed so easily?" Choji wailed to him but Shikamaru was already cracking his head-trying to piece things together.

" I'm not sure but one thing is for sure- and that the killer was out for revenge and probably a very skilled ninja as well. Kakashi told us that this was a S-class mission so he definitely isn't your average thug or rogue ninja. No, this man is dangerous and we are going to make sure that he gets what he deserves," Shikamaru vowed as he stared outside the window which reflected his grim expression.

**At the Village Of The Hidden Mist…..**

" So…this is the village of the hidden mist? Pretty damn gloomy and depressing if I dare say so myself. But…..a job is still a job and I have another poor bastard to kill so I'll make this quick," Deathstroke thought to himself as he crouched on top of the roof of a house.

"I don't have fond memories of this place but I guess the only person here I should be worried about is the Mizukage. She is strong, I'll give her that but when push comes to shove, the guy with the accelerated healing factor always wins," he chuckled to himself and disappeared into a dark alley.

**Back in Konoha….**

" Alright team, I have news that our target, the mercenary who goes by the name of Deathstroke was last seen en route to the Land of Waves. I'm guessing that he was probably headed for the Hidden Mist village. Our mission is to capture him alive by using any means necessary. Even if it means going all out in battle," Kakashi briefed his team who just nodded.

" That makes sense. We need to interrogate him first before punishing him for his crime. We need to avenge Neji, Kaka-sensei," Ino said determinedly as Shikamaru whispered into Kakahsi's ear.

" I was able to deduce that we have encountered Deathstroke before but as a different person. Judging from Guy's report on how Deathstroke only openly challenged our village and had won the battle without a single scratch on him, I'm guessing that he has encountered either Neji or our forces before. That way, he would be familiar with Neji's fighting style and could possibly harbor a personal vendetta on us," Shikamaru explained and Kakashi nodded.

" That possibility seems very likely but we should not jump to conclusions. He may be part of an organization like the Akatsuki. Whatever it is, we are going to stop him cold in his tracks," Kakashi replied.

" Alright. Let's move out!"

" I don't know who the hell you are but I know damn well that the Gato company sent you after me. I'm sorry that you have to pay for their naïve and gullible mistakes because I'm afraid that I will have to kill you now," the target smirked as his henchmen formed a circle around Naruto.

" These are some of the best bodyguards that money can buy so don't underestimate them because they can snap your neck like a twig in a matter of seconds. I'll deliver your head to the company as a souvenir," the target said and waved his hand dismissively at his henchmen.

"Such big talk for such a small and spineless man. The only person that is going to meet his maker today is you so I advise you to run while you still can because I'm going to clean up the trash soon," Naruto said as he drew his sword.

" Trash? Who do you think you are you bastard? We are specially trained bodyguards and we are not scared of some guy in a clown suit," one of the henchmen laughed and he charged at Naruto.

Naruto merely drew his sword, did a back flip and split the man in half with a swing of his sword.

" What a waste of my time. You guys are as weak as children!" Naruto taunted them as he drew his Beretta's and emptied his magazine on them. The bodyguards dropped dead like flies as a hurricane of bullets blew through them.

" Stay the fuck away from me!" the target screamed in fright as he scrambled away from the bloody carnage but Naruto just shot him in the leg and strolled up to him.

" Don't bother begging for your life or telling me some sob story about how you have a family waiting for you at home because I couldn't give a damn," Naruto said coldly and shot the man point blank in his forehead before he even had time to respond.

" Another easy assignment for five million dollars. Sometimes, I think that I'm overpaid but why do I care? Although I do admit that I'm thirsty for a real fight," Naruto thought to himself as he slipped a fresh magazine into his pistols.

Suddenly, Deathstroke jumped into a bright spot as he drew his Beretta's once more.

" Shikamaru, did you really think that technique would work against me, Naruto laughed as he saw Shikamaru's shadow retract back from the bright spot that Naruto was standing in.

" Damn it," Shikamaru muttered to himself.

" Deathstroke, we are assigned to take you back to Konoha for interrogation and you are charged with multiple counts of murder with the death of Neji Hyuga being the most recent. Don't think that you'll be leaving this village without a fight," Kakashi warned the mask vigilante who whistled in amusement.

" So you're out to seek redemption for your poor friend? You shinobi are so foolish for believing that killing me will bring him back because it won't. Anyway, I'm a professional mercenary and hence, do not kill without getting paid so wait until my boss confirms you as my next targets. Then, you can think twice about challenging me to a fight," he laughed.

" Shut up! You know nothing about Neji! What kind of a cold-blooded killer are you? Do you not understand how we feel?" Ino raged but Naruto just tapped his foot impatiently.

" I do but I don't care because emotions only get in the way of my job. So blondie, you should think twice before running into the battlefield with your head up in the clouds because you are likely to die faster," Naruto said and prepared to leave when Shikamaru threw a kunai at the mercenary who easily swatted it aside.

" I know for certain that you happen to be a shinobi that we have encountered before. Remove your mask and fight us with honor," Shikamaru growled but Deathstroke glared at him.

" You know nothing about me, boy , so shut your mouth before you piss me off."

Kakashi activated his Sharingan and scrutinized the man in the costume and he narrowed his eyes.

" Deathstroke or should I say Naruto, that's where you disappeared to. A life of crime. I thought I would never see the day. Ex-student or not, you're coming with us back to Konoha," Kakashi continued and drew his kunai at which Naruto shook his head and advanced towards them.

" Be on your guard team. Looks like we hit a nerve."

Deathstroke drew his sword and sniffed contemptuously at the four of them.

" Kakashi, looks like you just pushed my schedule up because now I have to kill you. I can't let anyone else know my secret identity because that would ruin my plans."

" Plans? What plans? Naruto, we are your friends. We can help you!" Choji burst out suddenly.

Naruto merely ignored him and brandished his sword at his former sensei who was glaring at him. " Correction. You were my friends. Now? You're just the weaklings standing in the way of my job. No hard feelings but I'm going to enjoy tearing you from limb to limb."

**A/N That was chapter 2. I didn't follow the manga or anything so please forgive me for some errors in my facts. Don't forget to review and comment. See you guys soon **


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Shikamaru staggered as Deathstroke landed another punch to his face but he answered back with an uppercut to his jaw. It was Naruto's turn to stumble a few steps back but he quickly regained his composure and sent Shikamaru sprawling with a roundhouse kick to the face.

" Shikamaru!" Ino cried as he lay on the ground motionless. She and Choji were already soundly beaten by the mercenary but Kakashi wasn't that easy for Deathstroke for he was an experienced warrior.

" You can't copy my moves Kakashi because I'm basically using weapons and not any jutsu. So that Sharingan of yours is pretty useless now," Naruto said he swung his staff at the silver-haired jonin who blocked it with his kunai.

"I don't rely on my Sharingan to defeat my opponents, Naruto. I rely on the years of training and experience to do it for me and I don't think that you can beat me in that category!" Kakashi growled as he knocked the staff out of Naruto's hand and sent him reeling with a kick to the nose. Naruto silently winced due to the excruciating pain of his broken nose but Kakashi wasn't done yet as he kneed Naruto in the gut before dealing another massive blow to his face.

Naruto swayed for a while and it was all that Kakashi needed to trap him in a earth dome.

" Naruto, this is the end of the line for you," Kakashi said before executing his fireball jutsu which resulted in gargantuan balls of flames crashing upon the wooden dome- burning everything that it could find.

" Kakashi did it guys. He took out Deathstroke," Ino shook her teammates who looked in awe at him.

" I'd expect nothing less from him. After all, he is the legendary man with a thousand jutsus," Choji said as Shikamaru began to stir from his slumber.

Kakashi cautiously walked to the burning circle but there wasn't any trace of Naruto anywhere.

" My, my. You are such an easy person to read, you know that? I hope you have finished your turn because I haven't even started toying with you yet," Naruto said from the top of the roof of a building.

" Damn…." Kakashi thought and his vision began to blur.

The use of his Sharingan for a long period of time drained his chaka and wore him down. His weariness was taking a toll on him and he knew that he had to finish Naruto off quick.

" Whats wrong sensei? Your age finally catching up to you? Perhaps you should stop using that eye of yours so much," Deathstroke taunted Kakashi who gritted his teeth.

" I don't have a choice. I need my Sharingan to exploit any weakness he has or even predict his next move but I'm totally worn out now. No, I have to finish him off before he kills the others."

Kakashi stole a glance at Shikamaru who nodded back at him.

" You're unusually quiet now Naruto. I thought you just couldn't keep your mouth shut whenever you were in a battle. What happened to all those long wounded speeches about achieving your goal?" Kakashi asked Naruto who drew his sword again.

Kakashi planned to stall and distract him before the trio executed the Ino-Shika-Cho technique on him.

" I'm not the man that you knew for sixteen years any more , Kakashi. I don't have time for idle chatter with my victims. I just get the job done as fast as I can without any hesitation, regret or second thoughts. So, get through your thick skull that I'm Deathstroke and not Naruto Uzumaki, your friend. Get up and fight me you coward. I've been waiting a long time for this," Naruto said as he tapped his sword on the ground.

Kakashi slowly got up from his knees and stretched his back. " I can't believe that you intend to leave my team out of all the action," he mused as Naruto cursed and spun behind but they were gone.

" Where the hell are they hiding?" he thought to himself but Kakashi threw a dozen explosive kunai towards Deathstroke who swiftly avoided them but he fell right into Shikamaru's trap.

" You have got to be kidding me," Naruto groaned as he couldn't move due to Shikamaru's Shadow Possession Technique.

Ino performed her Mind Body Switch Technique on Deathstroke who was caught by surprise. " Your mind is so dark and twisted Naruto. I expected it to be filled with thoughts of Ramen," Ino subconsciously told Naruto who growled and tried to force her out of his mind.

" Get out of my head, you little tart," Naruto said dangerously but Ino just smirked.

" Gladly. Choji, you're up!" Ino thought to herself as Choji used the Multi-Size Technique to grow into the size of a skyscraper.

" So what? You're going to sit on me like some kind of doll?" Naruto challenged him but Choji jumped up and did a full body slam on Deathstroke, the impact of the attack causing massive tremors through the village.

" Good job guys. But there is still the icing on the cake," Kakashi said as his Sharingan flashed bright red and he performed multiple hand signs at a rapid pace.

" Thank goodness, it decided to rain today. Water Release, Water Dragon Bullet!" Kakashi roared as the puddles of water began to rise and form multiple dragons of great size which proceeded to crash upon the fallen Deathstroke with immense force.

" Not even he can get up after an attack like that," Kakashi sighed and dropped to his knees again.

" Kakashi, are you alright?" Shikamaru asked as he placed his hand on he team leader's shoulder. Kakashi began breathing heavily and covered his Sharingan again with his headband.

" I'm fine Shikamaru. It's just the effect of using the Sharingan for too long."

" Don't worry about me. Let's just go and apprehend Naruto," Kakashi said as he got up and walked over to the giant crater in the centre of the alley.

" That was a decent attack, I'll give you that but it was still a pitiful attempt at defeating me," Naruto coughed as he slowly rose from the ground- his armor perforated in several areas and his mask close to splitting in half.

" You have got to be kidding me….." Ino groaned as Naruto stretched his back and clutched his shoulder.

" Didn't anyone tell you that I have an accelerated healing factor? I guess not. So, basically, you can't ever hope to kill me with such physical attacks because I can regenerate any time I want and this is not even the best part yet. I can still attack you with maximum capacity because I don't have to rely on chakra anymore," he smirked as he nursed his right shoulder.

"Looks like you did dislocate my shoulder. That would take quite some time to heal…You guys really dealt me a beating just now. It doesn't matter; I'm ambidextrous so I can easily take you down with just my left hand. What's more, you guys are probably drained of chakra by now so it makes it all the more easier for me," he said as he drew his Beretta.

Suddenly, multiple whips of water pierced through his body and he grunted in pain. "What…?!" he slowly turned around to see another water dragon looming over him.

" What are you looking at?" he growled before it hit him, knocking him out cold.

The four of them turned to the left to find the Mizukage, Mei and Chojuro standing at the entrance of the alley.

" Mizukage-san, what are you doing here?" Kakashi asked as the red-haired beauty ordered Chojuro to cuff his hands together.

" I happened to be on my way back from the village square when I discovered the bodies of two dead men dumped behind a bush nearby. Furthermore, I heard the sound of blades clashing behind the store, so I decided to check it out, only to find a team of Konoha's finest ninjas at the mercy of some guy in colorful armor. Hatake, mind explaining to me what the hell is going on here?" she said menacingly as the three jonins helped Kakashi up to his feet.

" I'll explain everything on the way to your office," Kakashi promised as Chojuro prepared to carry the unconscious Deathstroke back to the Mizukage's building.

" Sorry to inform you that you won't be taking me anywhere," Naruto chuckled as he awoke from unconsciousness and snapped the handcuffs in two.

" Who are you? What are you doing in my village?" Mei thundered at the masked mercenary who rotated his right shoulder and made an approving chuckle.

" I'm Deathstroke The Terminator and it will do you good to remember that, Mei. I came here to complete a task and was planning to leave here as soon as possible until Kakashi and his posse were begging for a beating ," he laughed condescendingly at her and she boiled with rage at his impudence.

" How dare you address me like that you bastard? What kind of task are you talking about? Is it an assassination mission?" she growled but he just ignored her and turned his back on the group.

" If you excuse me, I'll be heading home for now. All this excitement has worn me out and I am not getting paid to kill you so, I'll let you off the hook this time. But next time, I promise you that that will be last time you see the light of day- money or no money involved," Deathstroke warned them.

" Damn that old hag. Those water whips pierced my vital organs and even with my regeneration, it still isn't fast enough to heal me completely due to the extensive damage from my previous battle with Kakashi," Naruto thought to himself but Chojuro drew his twin sword and coughed nervously.

" If you want to do it the hard way, be my guest. Chojuro, I want him captured alive and brought to me now!" she ordered and the bespectacled swordsman nodded.

" Shit….." thought Naruto as Chojuro molded his swords into two giant hammers and swung it at him.

Naruto dodged it, pulled his Custom AR-15 from his back and chambered a round in the rifle. Naruto took a step back, aimed his scope at Chojuro and began emptying the chambers.

Empty shells rained from the rifle as Chojuro had a fairly tough time blocking all the bullets due to Deathstroke's impeccable aiming. " What on Earth is that man using? He isn't performing any jutsu or using any chakra…I don't think he is a shinobi," Mei told Kakashi who was half-asleep due to chakra exhaustion.

" As a matter of fact he is. Deathstroke is in fact Naruto. Like it or not, he's our enemy now," Shikamaru answered for Kakashi.

Mei's emerald eyes grew as big as dinner plates upon hearing this statement.

" You can't be serious Shikamaru…Naruto has been gone for years. Why would he come back as some masked vigilante?"

" Apparently, he's a mercenary now. He killed Neji yesterday because someone paid him to," Ino said sadly and Choji chimed in.

" We threw everything we had at him but he still wouldn't stay down until you came along."

Chojuro swept Naruto aside with a swing of his sword but Naruto continued to chamber a round in his rifle and began firing at Chojuro again.

" I'm not that stupid, kid," he said as he launched several grenades using the M203 grenade launcher attached on the top of his AR-15. The impact of the blast was too much to handle for Chojuro and he was sent sprawling on the ground.

" I'm fed up of this game. You have wasted hours of my precious time and my schedule is fucked up. You pissed the wrong guy today," Naruto finally snapped as he drew his Promethium sword and advanced towards the dazed Chojuro who scrambled to his feet and thrust his sword forward. The blade perforated his chest once more but Naruto merely winced in pain and stabbed Chojuro in the stomach with his blade.

" Chojuro!" Mei screamed but Chojuro stabbed Naruto in the chest once more with his other sword before the angered mercenary grabbed him by the throat and began crushing his windpipe. Chojuro struggled to break free but Naruto was much stronger than he was and the iron grip did not loosen.

" You may be one of the legendary Seven Swordsman Of The Mist but I'm still the second deadliest assassin in the world," Naruto whispered as he began choking the life out of Chojuro whose eyes began to close and head lolling sideways.

" Get off him!" Mei roared as she charged at him but Deathstroke whipped out his Beretta and aimed it at the side of Chojuro's head. " Take one step closer and I'll blow his fucking brains out," Naruto said calmly and Mei stopped dead in her tracks and grit her teeth. He knew that he wasn't one to fool around and that he had no qualms over squeezing the trigger.

" Fine. Just don't kill him!" she said and Deathstroke looked triumphantly at her. " Now that's more like it. Now, slowly back away from me," he ordered and she had no choice but to obey him.

" Good girl. You can have your lackey back now," he said and he released the barely conscious Chojuro from his chokehold and shoved him towards the group.

" Chojuro! Speak to me! Are you alright? We need to get him to a hospital before he loses too much blood," Mei told them frantically and Deathstroke shook his head again.

" But I never said that I wouldn't kill you," Deathstroke whispered before firing the last of his rounds from his Beretta at the unsuspecting Mizukage. " Watch out!" Ino screamed but Deathstroke's smile turned into a frown as he saw the falling body of Kakashi Hatake in front of Mei.

" How noble of you Kakashi. I would have preferred if you had died anyway," he said before using the opportunity to escape.

" Kakashi-senpai! Stay with us!" Shikamaru said frantically as Ino tried to heal his wounds but she still couldn't remove the bullets from his body.

" Hatake-san, you took those bullets for me. Why?" Mei asked him angrily but he just flashed a weary smile at her.

" I can't have the Hidden Mist in political chaos if their leader were to be killed. Better you dead than me. Don't get me wrong. The village would probably go to war with Konoha if you had been killed since accusations will probably be hurled at us since we were the last one to have been seen with you," Kakashi coughed as he began to pass out due to excessive loss of blood.

" That would have accelerated Deathstroke's plans. If we were to got to war with The Hidden Mist, it could spark an all out war between the villages which are alliance with each side. More importantly, he could probably easily catch us off guard after the war and pick us off one by one. No, we can't play into his game," Shikamaru told them as they rushed to the hospital.

Naruto staggered back to his house and flopped down on his bed. " I haven't been this injured in a long while. I can barely move with so many stabs to my vital organs. It will take me days before I can regain my full health and strength. Damn it, I couldn't kill the Mizukage. Now that she is alive, there will be a nationwide alert about me. Whoop dee fucking doo. More bounties on my head and more people after my head," Naruto mumbled as he got out of his armor and lay in his bed.

" I hope you don't survive Hatake. You don't deserve to escape death," he mumbled before drifting off to sleep.

" Chojoro and Kakashi are in critical condition but they are going to be just fine. Who on Earth have you been fighting to have dealt such heavy damage on two elite shinobi?" the medic asked the trio.

" Er…..just a really powerful rogue ninja and don't mind him. He fled the village before we could apprehend him," Ino said smiling and Shikamaru kept a stoic expression as another medic attended to his injuries.

" Ino. Shikamaru. What happened to the Mizukage?" Choji whispered.

" She went back to her office to alert the other nations once more as well as send a message to Tsunade regarding the incident that took place." Shikamaru replied.

A messenger from the Mizukage knocked on the door and let himself in as he pointed at the three of them.

" Shinobi from the Hidden Leaf, the Mizukage requests your presence in her office as soon as possible for she intends to discuss urgent matters regarding the fugitive."

" Well, what are we waiting for guys?" Shikamaru drawled and slowly rose from his bed.

" We were able to retrieve some valuable information connected to Deathstroke when our special operations teams identified his victims as clients of the corrupt Gato Company. We have reason to believe that the company probably was the one who has been hiring Deathstroke to do their dirty work for them. I've discussed this with your Hokage and she has decided that you three remain here for the time being and try to locate the Gato Company's base of operations, while your sensei recovers," Mei told them.

" Then what about the search for Naruto? We can't just leave him roaming about?" Ino grumbled.

" We don't really have to worry about him in the meantime. He's probably hiding somewhere to recover and he wouldn't kill anyone if it didn't involve a profit," Shikamaru replied.

" I'm sure that Tsunade will send another team to track our target down."

" Although I'm reluctant to accept your help, but since you three know him well, I suppose that we could work together for now," Mei emphasized before dismissing them with a wave of her hand.

" Geez, talk about arrogant," Choji remarked as Ino shook her head.

" Guys, the only remaining person on our side that know about the Gato Company is Kakashi but we have to make do without him at the moment," Shikamaru said.

" I think that we should split up and search the village. That way, we will be able to cover more ground."

" What if one us encounters that masked freak again? Do we call each other for back-up?"

" Don't take him on yet. Only use force against him if he tries to escape or retaliate. I don't want anybody's death on my conscience for the rest of my life," Shikamaru said darkly as Asuma's death still haunts him to this very day.

" We meet back at the motel at seven sharp. Let's go team," Shikamaru said as the three of them dispersed into different directions.

Hours passed and they couldn't come up with anything as they inquired villagers, infiltrated popular nightspots and shadowed some people.

Shikamaru glanced at his watch which read half-past six and he heaved a heavy sigh. He sat down by the pier to watch the sun set- the few thin strips of clouds on the horizon turned shimmering gold. He narrowed his eyes as he saw a group of men clad in pinstripe suits emerging from a boat at the dock- the villagers avoiding them as they strolled to a warehouse nearby.

" Nothing screams suspicion like a couple of guys in suits heading to an abandoned warehouse," he thought and he trailed them.

" Ino. Choji. Meet me at the abandoned warehouse by the pier just outside the town. I think we have our man."

" Here it is Goto, just like you ordered. Before we hand over the marijuana to you, I want my money now," said a sleazy looking man as Mr. Goto presented him a briefcase inundated with dollar bills.

" That's a lot of money boss," exclaimed one of the henchmen as he marveled at the huge sum of money laid out before his eyes.

" Aren't you going to share some with the rest of us?" Shikamaru asked lazily as he stifled a yawn.

The drug dealers spun their head in panic at the three shinobi and pretended to keep their cool as they did not want to appear threatened.

" You kids are lucky that my mercenary isn't present at the moment or he would have delivered your heads on a silver platter to me in the blink of an eye. It doesn't matter now because you three are going to be disposed of by my men. We can't let you ruin our underground trading business now, can we?" Mr. Goto smirked as his men pounced on the three ninja's who soundly beat them despite their injuries.

" Mr. Goto cursed and drew a bowie knife which was knocked out of his hands by an Ino kick.

" Please don't kill me! Or hand me in to the authorities! I'll pay you any amount you desire!" groveled but Shikamaru just took him by the scruff and sat him down on a metal chair.

" You can keep your filthy money. We want all the information you have about Deathstroke right now. Every single file and document that you have regarding him."

" What? Who the fuck is this Deathstroke character you keep rambling on about? The only mercenaries that I hire are rogue ninjas!" retorted Mr. Goto.

" Hmph….we don't have time to waste so we will just skip all the threats," Shikamaru said and nodded to Ino who executed the Mind Transfer Jutsu on Mr. Goto.

" Such a dark and twisted mind…..Ugh!" Ino exclaimed to Shikamaru.

" Anything about our mercenary?"

" More than you will ever know."

Ino ended the technique and whispered all the details to Choji and Ino who nodded and grinned.

" What the fuck did you just do to me you little whore?! Wait till I get out of here. I will have you slaughtered!" Mr. Goto roared as Choji gagged his mouth.

" Sorry but he was pissing me off," Choji shrugged.

While Choji handed Mr. Goto to the authorities, Shikamaru and Ino rushed to the hospital to divulge all the new information that they had gathered to Kakashi.

" Kakashi?" Shikamaru slowly entered his ward to see their team leader engrossed in his favorite Icha-Icha novel.

" Feeling better I presume, you old pervert," Ino laughed scornfully and Kakashi laughed nervously before hiding the novel beneath the bed spread.

" I'm feeling much better now. Where is Choji anyway?"

" He went to deliver , the man who was been purchasing Deathstroke's services to the authorities. We found out how he has been contacting Naruto. He drops off a list of targets at a rendezvous in some forest near Konoha. Every day, Naruto will go to that place to check the mail box. We can set up an ambush on him now," Shikamaru calmly explained and Kakashi nodded his head.

" Send a message back to Tsunade to inform her of this. For the moment, we will just use the time to recover from our injuries properly before he strikes again. Now that we know what he is capable of, we will be prepared the next time."

**In the forest…**

" I have to quickly find that Uchiha bastard before an army shows up on my doorstep which I figure, will be very soon. My original plan was foiled by Kakashi….that old geezer…" Naruto grumbled as he changed the dressing of his wounds.

" I have to divert everyone's attention away form me somehow or else I'll be too busy fending them off to find Sasuke. Hmm…..maybe I can still salvage the situation here. I'll poison Kakashi in the hospital and frame the Hidden Mist medics which will eventually lead to much arguments, fabrications and accusations traded between Tsunade and Mei. Then hopefully, with this framed murder, ties between the two villages and their allies will be cut and soon, a civil war might break out. It's pretty farfetched but it's worth a shot." Naruto said as he stumbled back to his bedroom.

**A/N That's the end of chapter 3 guys. I hope that you liked it and please don't forget to review or leave some comments about the story. There is also an interesting poll regarding the story on my profile page. I would really appreciate it if you took some time off to vote because it will really help me with my story. Till next time **


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

A couple of days had passed since his last encounter with the hidden leaf shinobi and Naruto was ready to take them on again. He groggily rolled out of bed as the bright rays of light shone through the window and onto his face.

" I wonder if Goto has any new assignments for me? I could sure use the another fat paycheck now," Naruto thought to himself as he slipped on a pair of old jeans, a white cotton shirt and a pair of trainers. He had a quick breakfast before heading to his mail box at the edge of the forest.

The sounds of robins chirping were music to his ears while the cool morning breeze kissed his pale cheeks and ruffled his blonde hair. He strolled towards the wooden mailbox which was hammered to the side of a tree trunk and gave a small grin as he placed his hand inside it.

Suddenly, Naruto was caught in a huge blast that echoed throughout the forest as the mailbox exploded like a thousand fireworks and sent the singed mercenary sprawling across the bed of autumn leaves.

" What the fuck happened….?" wheezed Naruto as he gagged on the acrid smell of charred flesh wafting through the air. Naruto's eyes narrowed as a group of ANBU ninjas leapt down from their respective hiding places and encircled him while pointing their swords at him.

" I didn't think you guys would play dirty like that…but I'm guessing that you guys caught my employer because there is no fucking way that you could have known about the mailbox," said Naruto as he slowly got up from the ground.

" Naruto Uzumaki, you are placed under arrest for murder and multiple attempts of assassination, homicide and threatening national security. Do not try to escape because force will be used to subdue and apprehend you. The hokage wants a few words with you before she gives you your punishment," the squad leader said as he conjured a small flame at the tip of his fingers.

Naruto didn't even flinch nor did he show any reaction as he calmly got up and placed his hands in his pockets before muttering in a low voice.

" You guys should leave before you get yourself killed. I hate killing people without getting paid but I also loathe killing a squad of good soldiers whom have so much more to offer for their nation. This is my final warning," Naruto said as the ANBU ninjas exchanged a few glances with each other before nodding their heads.

" Fugitive, you are in no place to threaten us! We will warn you for the last time. Come with us nicely or we will not hesitate to use force on you. We have been given permission by the hokage to use any means necessary to bring you back alive," another ninja chimed in but Naruto just shrugged and turned to walk away.

The ANBU ninjas dashed towards him and thrust their swords at him but Naruto just continued walking as the cold steel perforated his body giving him the image of a rather big pin cushion.

" What…." The leader exclaimed in shock as Naruto just flashed them an evil grin as he seemed unperturbed by the numerous swords sticking out of his body.

" How can he still be standing? Five of us just stabbed him in his back!?" the leader thought to himself as Naruto proceeded to push them away with a roundhouse kick.

The ANBU ninjas jumped away form him as he spun around to face them while slowly pulling their swords out of his bleeding body.

" You know, the most effective way to incapacitate a target is to aim for their legs but in this case, it doesn't work for me," Naruto grinned as he picked up one of their swords from the ground and inspected the blade.

" Bastard. Fire Style, Fireball Jutsu!" the leader said as he did a few hand signs and belted out multiple firballs towards Naruto who dodged them easily but another ninja surprised him form the side and sent him sprawling with a kick to the side of his face.

Naruto spat out a wad of blood and charged towards a female ANBU ninja. He swung his sword towards her head but she parried it away with her kunai and proceeded to slash his side with another kunai.

He staggered and she charged at him while he grunted in pain. His ribs were still sore and hadn't fully recovered from his previous fight with Kakashi and his team. She did a few hand signs and crouched.

" Earth Style, Earth Dome!" she said as the ground below him suddenly shook and he quickly leapt into the air to avoid being trapped.

Another ninja met him while he was midair and aimed a kick towards Naruto who blocked it with his elbow but not before another ninja sent him hurtling towards the ground with a kick to his ribs.

" You guys aren't half bad but I would expect nothing less from Konoha's elite ninja squad. I think it's time I got serious because I don't think I would want to spend my Sunday morning out here in the middle of the forest with a bunch of weaklings," Naruto chided as he picked himself off the ground.

Naruto advanced towards one of the ninjas and gave a devilish grin at him before charging towards him while brandishing his sword. He swung at the ninja with such great strength that the elite ninja was pushed back as few feet as he struggled to block the shot. Naruto proceeded to quickly drop his sword and stabbed the man's toe. The ninja yelled in pain as Naruto slit his neck with the sword.

" Okubo!" the leader shouted as his comrade's lifeless body fell to the ground.

" Lightning Release, Lightning Beast!" the leader said as his hands stared to crackle with a bright blue light as his lightning chakra began to take the shape of a hound.

The lightning hound began to run towards Naruto as it's claws clashed with his blade and the hound managed to take a bite out of Naruto's arm as pained seared though his body. Naruto smirked as he analyzed the limitations of the technique. The hound attacked him mercilessly but Naruto didn't fight back as his sword was made out of steel.

Naruto proceeded to charge towards the leader with the hound hot on his heels but two of the ninja's tried to intercept him. Naruto threw a kunai towards a beehive which was situated directly above the shinobi's head which delicately severed the beehive's roots. The beehive dropped in front of the two ANBU ninjas who were startled as a swarm of bees proceeded to float around the two of them and sting them.

The yelled in pain as the bees were making their whole body feel numb. One of them did a phoenix flame jutsu and burnt all the bees to a crisp but as the smoke cleared, the mercenary decapitated their heads within the blink of an eye.

" Misaki, stop him!" the leader barked at the blonde ANBU who flew at him but Naruto overpowered her with a crushing blow to her head and proceeded to slit her throat as well.

" So, it's just you and me now…" Naruto chuckled as the leader summoned his lightning hound again.

" If you kill me, rest assured that we have a backup squad on standby. You won't make it out this forest in one piece," he said through gritted his teeth as the lightning hound leapt towards Naruto and swatted him aside.

" You really should learn to shut up. You're starting to piss me off," Naruto growled as he jumped and started tree hopping with the hound shadowing his movements. Naruto grinned as he started slashing multiple tree branches from the top of the trees.

" Crap…." the leader exclaimed as he had to dodge the raining tree branches and because of this, his focus of chakra began to weaken and the hound began to flicker. Naruto jumped down from a tree and unsheathed his sword as the leader clapped his hands together and the lightning hound perforated his abdomen with a thrust of its clawed paw.

Naruto coughed out blood and dropped to his knees as the lightning hound disappeared. Even with his accelerated regeneration abilities, a deep wound like this needed a long time to heal.

" I think you've reached your limit, boy," the leader said as he walked towards the bloodied mercenary whose breathing was getting heavier but Naruto just gave him a crooked smile and slowly sheathed the sword.

" This match was already over the moment I jumped off that tree branch."

" Don't try to fool around, kid. You'll be dead if I don't bring you back to the village soon."

" Barracuda Bite…." Naruto mumbled softly as he replaced the sword in its scabbard. The leader suddenly froze as blood began to spurt out from his chest all the way up to his neck as the visible red outline of a long sword cut began to show through his blood soaked uniform.

" When did you….?" The leader gasped as his lifeless head lolled to the side.

" It's a Japanese sword technique where you cut an opponent so fast that by the time they realized it, its too late. I called it the Barracuda Bite because I got the inspiration from a Barracuda's subtle movements in killing its prey," Naruto said as he threw the borrowed sword onto the ground and walked back to his house.

" That fool said that they had dispatched another standby team of ANBU at the perimeter of this forest. I better dispose of them all before they report back to Tsunade."

Naruto got dressed in his navy blue and orange suit as he armed himself with his Promethium sword, Beretta's, grenades, flashbangs and a sniper.

" I think now's a great time to test out my new sniper," Naruto grinned as he wore his mask and trudged towards the edge of the forest.

" Tenzo and his team are taking pretty long to catch one little runt," an ANBU ninja told his captain but the red-haired captain just gave a small snort.

" That little runt killed the heir to the Hyuga clan as well as gravely injured Hatake-san and the Mizukage's bodyguard. However, I think we should move out now because, I can't sense any trace of chakra in the forest," the captain said as he signaled his squad to move in.

However, the leader suddenly fell off his branch and dropped dead on the ground as a pool of blood began forming around his head.

" Captain!" the other four ANBU members shouted as another one dropped dead to the ground.

" What the fuck is happening now?! Where is the assailant?" the remaining three members began dashing through the trees looking for the culprit. Another crash was heard as another one of their comrades lay dead beneath the forest ground.

The two remaining members hid behind a tree bark and began breathing vigorously. "We have to find some way to draw out the culprit. If we continue scouting the vicinity out in the open, it will be just like shooting fish in a barrel."

Deathstroke hummed to himself as he crouched on a tree branch while reloading his sniper. " Where the hell did those remaining two bastards go?"

Suddenly, hundreds of clones of the two ninjas began dashing towards him and Deathstroke muttered a silent curse as it was impossible for him to snipe all of them. Naruto had a brilliant idea as he stepped out from his hiding place and folded his arms at the clones.

" We should play a game of tag," Naruto said as the clones dashed towards him and Naruto smirked and began dashing through each tree while placing an explosive on the bark of every tree he crossed. The clones hounded him but Naruto did a somersault onto the ground of the forest before pressing the detonator.

Multiple explosions shook the entire forest as trees after trees began crashing down on each other, destroying the all the clones within seconds.

" We have to move now!" one of the ninjas said frantically as they quickly leapt away from the falling tree but Naruto spotted them, drew his Berettas and put a bullet in each of their heads.

" Tsh…I really do hate fucking up this beautiful forest but those assholes gave me no choice. Now, it's time I assassinate Kakashi in the Hidden Mist," Naruto said as he walked towards the ending of the forest.

" Deathstroke, where do you think you're going now?" a sultry voice came from behind him.

Naruto drew his sword and spun around but his eyes widened as he saw a tall, slender and voluptuous young woman standing behind him with a black wand in her hand. She wore a white, sleeveless button-up blouse with a collar and bow-tie beneath a small black tailcoat and a pair of small, high-cut black tights with black fishnet stockings and a black top hat. She also had long black hair and azure eyes.

Naruto was mesmerized by her beauty but he maintained his fighting stance and cocked his head. " This woman is sexy as hell and yet, she looks as if she could beat the hell out of me. She is definitely not from this ninja world- I mean, she is a Caucasian after all," he thought to himself.

" Deathstroke, Batman wants you back in Gotham because you're the only connection to Black Mask he has at the moment. All his previous assassins have been murdered by him," the young woman told him.

Naruto was taken aback as he did not have a nuance of what she had just said.

" Lady, I have no idea what you are talking about. Who in the world is Batman or Black Mask? More importantly, who are you?" Naruto asked dangerously as the young woman gave an incredulous look at him and shook her head in disbelief.

" Slade, enough of the mind games. I'm here to take you back whether you like it or not!" she said calmly as she began uttering some magical chants.

" Noegnud stoor!" she said as thick roots began seeping out of the ground and wrapped around both the mercenary's legs.

Naruto cursed as he began slicing the roots with his sword but vines from the trees started binding his arms together and he growled in protest as he was unable to move.

" I really have no idea what you're talking about! I'm not Slade Wilson! He died a few months back and I have assumed his position and identity. I'm Naruto Uzumaki and I have no intentions of following you back to Gotham or whatever you called it," he growled as the young woman's blue eyes grew wide and she frowned.

She walked over to him and removed his mask. She was shocked to find that Naruto had been telling the truth all along and it wasn't Slade beneath the black and orange mask.

" Just let me go and I'll be on my way and I will not hesitate to kill you if you get in my way," Naruto warned her but she just ignored him and heaved a sigh.

" I came all this way for nothing…..Bruce will be fuming when I tell this," the young woman muttered to herself as she turned back to the bored-looking blonde.

" Look miss….uh…"

" My name is Zatanna. Um….Naruto was it?" Zatanna inquired Naruto who nodded his head.

" Zatanna, if you just unbind me, I'll answer all your questions and we can go our separate ways quickly because I'm in a rush now."

Zatanna laughed and gave him a skeptical look. " You really expect me to believe you? I'm probably certain that you killed Slade and stole his stuff. I'm pretty sure he would be rolling in his grave if he found out that a runt was abusing his identity."

Naruto's eyes flashed fire and he gave her a venomous glare.

" You would do well to keep your mouth shut because I can slit your throat in a heartbeat once I escape. Slade was like an older brother to me…He trained and passed on everything he knew to me besides the information regarding his own world affairs. I'm honoring the title of Deathstroke by accomplishing my goal while ensuring that everyone gets what they deserve!"

Zatanna could see the pool of hurt behind his bright blue orbs as she gave him a thoughtful look.

" If it will make you feel better, you can disarm me," he said flatly as Zatanna smirked at him and snapped her fingers. All his weapons began floating away from his suit and lay beside the magician.

She snapped her fingers a second time and the vines which bound Naruto disappeared. Naruto dropped to the ground and looked surprised.

" I never actually thought that you would accept my offer," Naruto replied as Zatanna eyed his handsome face and smiled.

" Like in magic, magicians always take risks but know what kind of risks that have a high probability of succeeding. I just had a feeling that you weren't as cold-blooded and malicious as Slade."

Naruto wore back his mask and couldn't help but blush. It had been a long time since he had received a compliment from anyone, particularly, a woman.

" Zatanna, I think we should go back to my place in heart of the forest to discuss a few things because I have enemies lurking outside this forest and I don't want them knowing some things about me," Naruto said and Zatanna smirked.

" So you're inviting me back to your place now? You really should take things slow," she grinned as Naruto couldn't help but smile at her comment.

" Don't think I'm letting my guard down because you're acting all friendly with me, Zatanna. I still don't trust you," Naruto said solemnly and Zatanna agreed.

"But could I have my weapons back now?"

" Nope, you still haven't gained my trust yet, remember?" she added playfully as Naruto snorted at her before leading her back to his cottage.

" Are you always this friendly with deadly assassins?" Naruto asked her as she could see that he enjoyed her company.

" Hm…not always. Just the young and handsome ones," she hummed as Naruto tried not to let this subtle complement take rein of his emotions.

" I can see that you've been busy this morning. Is this some kind of daily routine for you or do you just kill anyone who trespasses?" she asked as she saw the bloodied corpses of the ANBU ninjas scattered everywhere.

" They wanted to capture me but I guess I got a little too excited," Naruto said placidly as he opened the front of his door and gestured he to go inside first.

Zatanna loved how cozy and rustic the interior of his cottage was as she admired his quaint living room and kitchen.

" Can I get you anything?" he asked gruffly as she made herself comfortable on his couch.

" I don't mind having an espresso," she told him but he just looked blank at her and suggested tea instead. She gave him a small pout but reluctantly agreed.

" Sorry but I'm Japanese, so I'm not familiar with Western beverages," he said sarcastically from the kitchen as he handed her a cup of green tea.

" Ah….that explains everything. So, let's get down to business….."

**Later…..**

" So, you're a Japanese version of Slade who wants to run your village to the ground because they unjustly accused you of murdering your own wife? That is screwed up," she commented as Naruto rolled his eyes.

" Yes and you're a magician from America who aids some superhero organization known as the Justice League and is friends with some scary masked vigilante called Batman who is Slade's enemy? And you were the one who banished Slade here moments before he was about to kill Batman's sidekick? And you came back because Batman needed to interrogate Slade?" Naruto asked Zatanna who nodded.

" Now that we have cleared our origins up, do you still want me to follow you back to Gotham City?" he asked Zatanna who was slowly sipping her cup of tea.

" Honestly, you wouldn't be of any use to Batman because you have no knowledge about Black Mask and his modus operandi. So technically, it would be a waste of time to bring you back to America."

" I think it's time I return to my world now, Naruto. It's been nice talking to you," she laughed as Naruto cracked a small smile and shook her extended gloved hand.

" I can say the same about you, Zatanna. I know it's not appropriate but I just want to tell you that you are the most beautiful woman I have ever laid eyes on besides my deceased wife, Sakura. I'm sure your partner is a very luck man," Naruto told her as Zatanna grew a light shade of pink and wore her hat.

" Has anyone ever told you how sweet a mouth you have? And I don't have a partner yet," she winked at the mercenary who raised an eyebrow.

" I find that really hard to believe, Zatanna. But I'm sure that you'll find someone soon. A woman like yourself doesn't stay single for very long," he replied and she folded her arms.

" Fine, you can have your weapons back, you charmer," she sighed as she snapped her fingers much to Naruto's amusement.

" I meant every single word I said. It's just that I miss having someone around who I could talk to. It's been pretty lonely here, especially if you've been ostracized by the very people who you grew up with," Naruto chuckled as he gave a somber look to her.

Zatanna looked sympathetically at him before patting his back.

" Cheer up, Naruto. Nobody in this world deserves to be alone. You'll manage somehow….after all, who would dare piss of Deathstroke the Terminator?" she smiled and he laughed at her.

Suddenly, a shuriken smashed through the window and lodged itself in Zatanna's arm. She winced in pain and staggered as Naruto drew his sword and deflected the incoming projectiles.

" Zatanna! Are you alright?" Naruto shouted at the magician who winced in pain as she slowly removed the shuriken from her shoulder.

" Yea, just a little scratch," she replied as ANBU ninjas came barreling through the door and surrounded him.

" You guys again..?" Naruto sighed as he drew his Beretta's and emptied his entire clip into their bodies.

" Egnahc sehtolc otni sgnidnib!" she chanted as the ANBU ninja's uniforms began to turns into binds which wrapped them up like presents.

" Kill the sorceress, Hokage's orders," the captain informed his team mates who began to overwhelm the magician.

Zatanna was gagged by a ninja as another one prepared to drive his sword trough her.

" Get your filthy hands off her!" Deathstroke roared as he jumped in front of Zatanna as the ninja drove his sword through his chest.

Naruto clenched his fists and sent the ninja crashing against the wall with a havey punch to the face. As the rest of the ninjas did their hand signs and engulfed the mercenary in flames, Naruto calmly pulled out his Uzi and filled the remaining ninjas with silver.

" Naruto, you're hurt! Why did you take that blow which was meant for me?" she frowned as she inspected his wound but he just brushed her aside and growled.

" Don't need to thank me because I was just doing what any other normal person would have done. Let's just say that I consider you my ally now," Naruto said as Zatanna didn't like the change in his tone.

" Ally? Sorry but I'm one of the good guys so I don't team up with contracted killers. I was going to thank you but I guess it would have been a waste of my breath," she huffed as she dusted herself and wore her top hat again.

" Well anyway, as a matter of principle, thank you Naruto for saving me back there…" but she was cut off as he took her hand and spun her around.

She felt the heat rise to her cheeks as she was barely a few centimeters away form him and he placed his hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eye.

" Zatanna, I'm sorry for snapping at you back there but it's just that I wouldn't want the blood of an innocent person on my hands. Those ninjas were after me and not you so it's my fault that you had to fight them. Plus…..I guess that I want to be your friend if that's alright with you.." Naruto smiled through his mask and Zatanna seemed to be placated but she still was unconvinced.

" I'm touched by your magnanimity but I wasn't born yesterday. You want something from me," she said and Naruto chuckled before reloading his Berettas.

" Now that you mention it, I think that I would want to follow you back to your world for a while. I want to get away from this hellhole and maybe pick up a few fighting tips. Look, I'll stay out of trouble and I promise not to disturb you," Naruto said and Zatanna pursed her lips before rubbing her chin thoughtfully.

" Hm….I don't know….Batman might throw a fit if he found out that I brought back another assassin to Gotham."

" Look, it will just be for a few days. Nobody needs to know that I'm Deathstroke.. I can masquerade as er…your new flat mate or boyfriend," he grumbled much to her amusement.

" I'll also buy you dinner and I'll do your chores if you put up with me too," he said and Zatanna decided to tease him a bit longer.

" Are you asking me out on a date, Mr. Mercenary?" she cooed as Naruto scoffed indignantly.

" Don't flatter yourself, magician. It's an offer not a request.."

Zatanna frowned and shrugged. " If you put it that way…I can decline your request can't I?" she hummed and Naruto grew purple.

He gnashed his teeth and gulped. " Fine, fine. Yes, Zatanna, it's a date. We can go anywhere you want," he waved his hand dismissively and Zatanna grinned as she opened up a portal back to her world.

" I guess if you behave yourself, you won't cause too much trouble while you're with me. And, you have to do all my laundry and clean the flat everyday."

Naruto smirked as he followed her into the portal back to Gotham city.

" Don't push your luck….."

Naruto had to change into casual clothes in a dark alley before he could step out onto the streets of Gotham.

The blonde looked in awe at the massive skyscrapers, busy streets and lively shops which caused Zatanna to giggle.

" You really are from the feudal era. Come on, let's get some lunch first. Your treat right?" she winked as Naruto groaned and nodded.

" Yea, it is…..I hope they have ramen here? Do they have Japanese food here?"

" Yea but forget that. I'm bringing you to one of my favorite pizza parlors in Gotham. Get ready to taste a slice of heaven," she said as she hooked her arm with his and walked with him down the streets of Gotham.

**A/N Sorry for the long wait but I have been really busy with exams lately. Zatanna's spells are regular words spelled backwards as depicted in the comics. I hope you guys enjoyed the story and don't forget to tell me what you think. Till next time **


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Naruto groggily stirred as he was awakened by the bright rays of light streaming through the window coupled with the mouth-watering scent of scrambled eggs and toast.

He looked around his simple yet comfortable room and remembered that he was in the heart of Gotham City, notably, in Zatanna's guest room. The blonde gingerly ran his fingers over his abdomen and smiled as his wounds had healed by themselves but still left a palpable scar.

As he sat at the edge of the bed, trying to make sense of the events that had happened yesterday, memories regarding his escape from his dimension into Zatanna's world began flooding his mind. " It's like waking up after a coma- everything seems so different than before" he thought to himself as he washed up and got dressed.

He slowly opened the door and walked over to the kitchen to find the black-haired enchantress engrossed in the daily newspapers. Her azure eyes looked up from the sports section that she was reading as Naruto stepped into the kitchen.

" Good morning, Zatanna. Thank you for putting up with me last night. I really appreciate you hospitality," he smiled as she raised an eyebrow and put away her newspaper.

" Naruto, you can drop the formalities with me now. We are friends after all, remember? Plus, I made you breakfast since I figured that you wouldn't want to go to the store to pick it up," she smiled as she pushed the plate of scramble eggs, salad and toast towards the starving mercenary who looked delighted.

" Its scrambled eggs, toast and salad. There is a carton of orange juice in the refrigerator as well. Do you have this back in your world?"

" Unfortunately no and I must say that this is absolutely delicious. Magic comes in handy when you're hungry, huh?" he laughed as she gave him a smirk and whistled.

" So, its so good that you think that I conjured it from thin air? I'm a pretty good cook too you know," she said.

" You're not half bad on the stove. But it wasn't necessary to cook breakfast for me as well. I don't want to trouble you any further that I have. Look, I'll help you wash the dishes…but his voice trailed off as his eyes were riveted on Zatanna's curious visage.

" Is something the matter?" he asked her and she gave him another puzzled look.

" Naruto, I mean it. It's no big deal and you saved my life yesterday. If it will make you feel any better, think of it as my way of returning the favor. Honestly, is it so hard for you to accept that some people genuinely help you because they want to? Courtesy is one thing but I get the feeling that you don't really me helping you," Zatanna replied with a small sigh as Naruto felt a pang of compunction in his heart as he didn't mean to hurt her feelings.

Growing up in a hostile and cruel environment where everybody ostracized him was a painful experience and just as he was beginning to feel accepted by his village, the village turned on him and drove him out. Naruto did believe that there were nice people who were always ready to help but sometimes, he couldn't help but wonder if that would all change if he screwed something up again.

He yearned for friends and a new beginning but he didn't want to go through the whole painful ordeal of heartbreak again. People who helped him usually had an ulterior motive unless they were either Iruka or Jiraiya. They were like father figures to him and he could never hate them but everyone else wanted something from him. Being nice to him was a way of lowering his guard and striking him when he was unaware of it.

" Zatanna, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings or anything and I really appreciate your help but its just that, I'm so used to people going against my back that I can't help but question their motives or actions. I have rarely met anyone who offered a helping hand to me without wanting something," Naruto said as Zatanna still looked slightly offended but Naruto gave her a small smile and gave her an earnest look.

" However, I do trust you and I'll try my best to help out with anything that you want. Besides, its been a long time since a woman did anything nice for me," he said as Zatanna sighed and shook her head.

" You're really screwed up in the head, you know that? You do remind me of Slade after all. You mercenaries always seem to reject the slightest bit of help that comes your way."

Naruto snorted as he got up and began washing the dishes. " You wouldn't say that so lightly if you knew what we had gone through. Our dark past has distorted our perception of the world and the people living on it."

" A longer definition for screwed-up," she replied casually as Naruto grit his teeth and shook his head.

" I'm going out for a walk. Try not to get lonely without me," he said brusquely as he dried his hands and grabbed his coat.

" I'm supposed to keep an eye on you, remember? You can't just go anywhere as you please. We don't need another murderous meta-human on the loose in the city. Plus, Batman will have both our scalps if he finds out," she said impatiently as Naruto flashed her an irritable look.

" That was part of the agreement we made. You let me stay here and explore the city and in return, I do all your chores as well as buy you dinner. It would do you well to remember it, sorceress," he said dryly as Zatanna's eyes flashed fire and she said in a low and threatening voice.

" Watch that mouth of yours, mercenary. I can easily send you back to where you came from or somewhere worse if you decide to cause trouble. Don't think that you're the only one with super powers here."

Naruto raised an eyebrow and folded his arms. " I'm not interested in fighting you because I haven't been paid to do so but don't think that I'll let you violate our deal. I will honor my end of the bargain and I expect you to do the same," he spat as Zatanna clenched her fists and turned away from him.

" Fine then. If you get caught or killed, I sure as hell won't give a damn about you. I take back everything that I said about you. You're just a stubborn asshole and you can get your own lunch and dinner while you're out in the city!" she said as she retreated back to her room.

Naruto just rolled his eyes and left her apartment. " This wouldn't have happened if she didn't lose her temper in the first place."

Naruto walked the busy streets of Gotham as he explored the various shops and ventured into the treacherous alleys where the thugs hung out. He sighed as he remembered that he had not a single dollar to his name and he couldn't buy lunch. " Looks like I'll have to beg for forgiveness…..it's pathetic," he groaned as he stuffed his hands in the pockets of his jeans and leaned back on a wall.

Suddenly, he was approached by a gang of thugs who encircled him and eyed him from head to toe. " What the hell do you think you're doing on our turf, pretty-boy? Are you with the cops?" a burly member asked but Naruto just looked quizzically at him a she did not understand what a cop was.

" Cop? What is that? Sorry but I'm not from around here. I'm just a tourist so if you excuse me, I'll be on my way. I don't have time to deal with trash like you," he said simply as he turned to walk away but the thugs started murmuring among themselves and pointed their guns at his head.

" Well, fuck you, you little piece of shit. We were going to just rob you without killing you but looks like you just dug yourself a grave."

Naruto sighed in annoyance as he didn't want to piss Zatanna off more than he already had. " Do as you please, fellows. I don't kill without getting paid," he said as he began walking towards the exit of the alley. Gunshots began ringing in the air as the four thugs each put a bullet in the back of Naruto's head but to their shock, he was unperturbed.

" What…the…fuck?" they said as they struggled to contain their shock and fear as they began perforating his body with bullets.

" Shoot him! Kill that son of a bitch!" the leader roared as he began emptying his magazine.

Naruto grunted as his body had not fully recovered from his serious injuries yet and the gunshot wounds were difficult to treat.

The blonde mercenary spun around and began walking towards them. The thugs dropped their empty guns on the ground and pointed their knives at him. " What are you? You better stay the hell away from us!"

Naruto calmly dodged their flimsy jabs and proceeded to slash all their throats with a spinning blade attack. " This is not professional nor is it morally ethical but I need some money so forgive me," he said quietly as he began looting the carcasses and dumped them into the dumpster.

" The police won't be able to trace me since I didn't leave any fingerprints on them," he thought as he wiped the bloodied knife on the jacket of a thug and proceeded to put the knife in his pocket.

Naruto began to feel accustomed to the lively city as he spent the whole day feeding the ducks at the local park as well as exploring the shopping malls. " To think that I won't be around when all this hits Japan is truly a shame. Who knew that this thing which was called a taco was so delicious?" he thought to himself as he took another bite of his beef tacos

" I guess I should head back now. Hopefully, Zatanna has cooled off and is ready to apologize," Naruto sighed as he stole a glance from his watch which read half past eight. As he was walking back to her apartment, he paused outside a theatre as a giant and brightly lit Las Vegas- style sign illuminated the dark streets of Gotham. He walked over to the theatre and cocked his head as the sign read " Zatanna's Live Magic Show".

" Zatanna didn't tell me that she had her own show. And she didn't even think of inviting me to it tonight. How is she supposed to keep an eye on me when she is out entertaining a bunch of rich fools?" Naruto grumbled as he politely stopped a passer-by and inquired about the show.

" Excuse me, but do you know if this magic show is any good? I'm not from around here and I'm looking for some entertainment tonight," Naruto politely asked the man who gave him a big smile clapped his back.

" Zatanna's magic shows are out of this world! Literally! She does stuff that no other magician can do. I mean, who pulls out a member of the audience out from her hat? You should definitely go and see it, mister and I promise you that you will be blown away by her. Plus, she is rather gorgeous," the man winked at him and Naruto pretended to look intrigued.

" I see…Well, thank you for the recommendation and I'll think about it," the blonde replied as he waved goodbye to the man and approached the ticket counter in the theatre

" I'm sorry but are you guys still selling tickets for the show?" Naruto inquired as the cashier shook her head and smiled apologetically at him.. " I'm afraid that its sold out. You should know that Zatanna's shows are always sold out during the weekends. You could buy tickets for tomorrow's show if you would like?"

Naruto shrugged and took out his wallet but his eyes narrowed as he read the prices on the notice board.

" Two hundred dollars for a ticket? That is extortion! Sorry but I don't that have kind of money with me right now. Maybe I can catch a rerun on cable?" Naruto asked as the cashier just apologized to him again.

" Two hundred dollars….Hell, I only have fifty dollars with me now. I wouldn't pay two hundred dollars to see her pull a rabbit out of her hat. I could restock my Beretta's magazines with that cash."

Naruto prepared to leave the theatre when he spied the janitor emptying the rubbish at the back of the building. He grimaced at the thought of stealing his uniform but he knew that he would have to wait until she had finished before he could enter her apartment. He was pretty sure that she locked it when she went out.

The mercenary dashed into the shadows and crept up on the unsuspecting janitor. Naruto slowly wrapped his arms around the man's mouth and nostrils as he rendered the man unconscious in a matter of minutes due to the lack of oxygen. Naruto stripped him of his uniform and wore it over his T-shit and jeans. He proceeded to handcuff the unconscious janitor's wrist to a pipe and silently apologized if he had been rough on the portly man.

Naruto kept his face well hidden with his cap and started to sweep the floor leading to the theatre. He quickly slipped inside the room unnoticed and sat down on the first step of the steps leading down to the seats. Most of the audience looked like well to do men and women as they were covered by their extravagant regalia, particularly, the women.

" For my next act, I hope that you don't get cold feet because I'm going to make a snowman out of ice-cubes," Zatanna announced with a charming smile as the audience gave her a rousing applause. Naruto just scratched his head and snorted. " Now, that's just crazy."

Zatanna took of her top hat and emptied it in front of the crowd. She proceeded to pour some ice cubes into it as well as add a carrot, two twigs and two pieces of coal. The mixture in the hat was stirred with her wand before she snapped her fingers and revealed the empty top hat to the gob smacked crowd. Her sapphire eyes crinkled with excitement as she tapped her wand against her hat and proceeded to hold the hat above the stage.

A three layered snowman with a pair of twigs as hands, two eyes made out of coal and a magnificent carrot nose began to slowly slide out of the hat and onto the stage. The audience burst into another round of rapid cheering and applause as even Naruto was pleasantly surprised.

Naruto grumbled as he suddenly felt the urge to use the bathroom in the middle of another scintillating display by the magician .He slowly crept outside and walked to the bathroom when he spotted a very tall slim and alluring woman clinging onto a portly elderly man who was smoking a cigar. This woman had olive skin as well as jade colored eyes and luscious pink lips. Her auburn hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall as she removed the pin form her hairdo. The green dress that she was wearing hugged her body in all the right places but Naruto's fantasy came to a juddering halt when he spied a gleam of silver underneath the slit of her dress.

" She is too elegant to be a prostitute and she does seem too charming to be a mere escort. Could she be planning to murder her date?" Naruto thought to himself as the woman and her date left the theatre.

" It's none of my business anyway. There are a lot of screwed up relationships nowadays. Let the old geezer find out that his date is some money-grubbing murderer."

Naruto hummed a tune as he entered the bathroom and entered a cubicle. As he was relieving himself, he began to gag uncontrollably as the putrid smell of rotting flesh clawed their way into his nose and pushed their way into his lungs. He held his breath and quickly flushed before exiting the cubicle. He found that the smell was coming from the cubicle next to his.

" I'm all too familiar with this smell. It's the smell of a dead body," Naruto thought as he tried to open the cubicle but to no avail. He rattled the door but it would not open. Naruto used his superhuman strength to crack the bolt and the door slowly creaked open. Naruto's blue eyes grew wide in shock as he saw the bloodied corpse of a young, once beautiful red-haired woman who was propped up against the toilet bowl. Her once emerald dress was stained brown with dried blood as Naruto could see the slash marks on her throat.

Naruto clenched his fists and grit his teeth in anger. Even though he killed people for a living but he still had a shred of compassion and humanity in his wretched heart. And the sight that he saw made him apoplectic with rage. He had been brought up to always help those in need and this was something that he could never forget. This woman had been murdered and left to rot in the bloody men's bathroom.

" Whoever did this should die a horrible death. I am sure that this young woman did no wrong to deserve such an unpleasant demise. Hm…..she hasn't been dead for very long. A maximum of two to three hours since her time of death," Naruto murmured as he inspected her wound.

Naruto said a silent prayer for her as he closed the cubicle door and ran out of the bathroom. He leaned against the wall and slowly sank to the floor as he rubbed the temples in his forehead.

" I'm pretty sure that the culprit is among the audience in that room but I can't just barge inside and cause a panic. In the confusion, he might escape and that might make things worse. I better find a way to the backstage and warn Zatanna. Maybe she could barricade the room or conjure some truth spell. But one thing I don't understand is why dump the body in the men's bathroom?"

Naruto was pondering about this when he remembered the blade he saw the blade strapped onto the woman's thigh. He thought about it harder and then the pieces fell into place. What a coincidence that both of them were wearing the same type of dress and heels. Plus, was there a special reason why that woman decided to leave the theatre halfway into the show?" Naruto's eyes narrowed as he ran out of the theatre and began to ask passer-bys whether they had seen the couple.

No one gave him a good answer until a street performer exclaimed that he knew who the man was. " That man is Mark Bowden, the owner of The Bowden Weapons Manufacturing Company. Word on the street says that he was supposed to sign a deal with an international nuclear power plant owner involving chemical weapons today. That lovely lady with him must have been the representative."

" Do you know which way they were headed?"

The street performer adjusted his spectacles before pointing to the road leading to the South of Gotham.

Naruto thanked him for his help and placed a five dollar bill into the tip box before running down the street.

" That woman must be up to something big if she is going to assassinate a man of such importance. Wait….I don't even know where the fuck they are. They could be anywhere and in one of these shops but my guess is probably at his house. The only logical place to carry out a seduction and assassination mission," he continued thinking as he began asking people where Mark lived.

Naruto ran as fast as he could towards Mark's heavily fortified mansion which was crawling with bodyguards.

" I can scale the wall surrounding the compound and sneak in through the balcony but that would alert the surveillance cameras"….Naruto looked around for another way to enter the compound but he had limited options.

" I'm running out of time. I think I'm just going to take my chances!"

Naruto silently subdued the guards around the perimeter of the wall and began to scale the abnormally high wall which was even a challenge for the mercenary. Once he had succeeded in doing so, he located the surveillance camera at the front of the mansion and brought out his knife.

He threw the knife at the surveillance camera and the sound of glass shattering alerted the guards who began rushing to the source of the sound. Naruto chuckled as the back of the mansion was now free of guards.

He quickly slid down the wall, ran to the back of the mansion and began hopping from balcony to balcony until he found Mark's dimly-lit room.

" , don't you think that we should discuss about the deal now? It is getting pretty late now and I'm sure that your superiors are anxious for your report," Mark panted as his companion just gave him a flirty wink and continued straddling his waist.

" Don't worry, Mr. Bowden because we have all night to discuss about it and much more," she purred seductively as she began undoing the buttons of his shirt.

Naruto peered through the balcony door to find that she was undressing him.

" Once its her turn, she is going to kill that bastard. But if I intervene now, I might get apprehended by his guards and she might still kill him in the midst of things…"he growled as he stole another glance but to his horror, the man lay dead on the bedroom floor with foam in his mouth.

The woman was wearing her heels and rifling through a stack of documents but Naruto had seen enough and he crashed through the balcony glass to the surprise of the woman.

" Alright assassin, I think you had enough fun for one day, don't you think?" Naruto growled as the woman narrowed her eyes and drew her blade. She began to launch a flurry of strikes and managed to stab him a couple of times. Naruto grunted as his crimson blood began to soak through his shirt.

" I don't know how long that you've been spying but you're going to be dead soon. The tip of my blade is laced with a deadly poison which will spread rapidly throughout your system. If you had been smarter and kept quiet, you might have just lived," she purred as Naruto's head began to spin but his body was already producing an antidote for the poison as he silently thanked the super soldier serum.

Naruto began to rise from the ground and aimed a punch to the back of her head which she quickly dodged. Naruto was surprised for he had never seen a person who had such fast reflexes as her. The assassin began to frown as she looked him up sand down.

" That's not possible….the poison should have severed your nervous system by now but you seem to still be standing…Tell me, handsome, just what exactly are you?" she looked curiously at Naruto who clenched his fists and began throwing punches at her.

" I'm just a regular guy who wants to know why you murdered that poor innocent woman back at the theatre! I couldn't give two fucks about this fat asshole here but that woman obviously did no wrong!" he roared as he finally sent her crashing against the wardrobe with a swift kick to her face.

Her auburn wig lay on the ground as he saw long black hair covering her tanned face. The assassin wiped the blood from her nose and gave a small smile.

" You're not half bad…..Your reflexes are as fast as mine and you obviously are a seasoned combat fighter. Are you affiliated with the Justice League?" she asked him suddenly but Naruto just gave her an odd look.

" No I'm not…..and don't try to change the subject, you slag! You masqueraded as that poor woman after you had killed her in order to assassinate Mark which you have successfully done. I think that you dumped the body in the men's bathroom to raise suspicions that it was a man who did it instead of a woman which I find to be ridiculous."

" I'm not a slag. You can call me Cheshire. I must say that you have quite the eye for details," she purred once more as she adjusted her dress and gave him a small smirk.

" Cheshire, huh? Who do your work for? You're obviously an assassin because your little scheme is straight out of an assassin's playbook."

" I'm actually a mercenary and my boss wants to keep his identity a secret but enough about me. Tell me about yourself because it would be a shame to kill such a handsome stranger without even knowing his name," she laughed as she began to slash Naruto with her blade.

Naruto started to breathe heavily as Cheshire gracefully did a somersault and sent him sprawling with a kick to the jaw.

" You're pretty good for a scumbag. However, you and I can keep this up all night long but eventually you'll succumb once I land enough blows to your body. My body is different than yours because…" but he was cut off by Cheshire.

" Because you have a regeneration or super healing factor. That's the only explanation for why my poison didn't kill you. I've dealt with my fair share of meta-humans in the past and you're obviously one of them, am I right?" she smirked and Naruto was taken aback.

Cheshire's smirk grew wider as she knew that she had discovered his secret.

" Lucky guess you scumbag. But I think it's time we call it a night because its getting late and I'm feeling quite sleepy," Naruto stifled a yawn as Cheshire and him exchanged blocks and blows until she began to run out of steam. Her breathing became heavier and sweat started to trickle down her face, smearing her mascara but Naruto barely broke a sweat and he pinned her to the wall with a chokehold as he sneered contemptuously at her.

" You won't kill me. You don't have the guts to!" she challenged him but his grip around her throat began to tighten as she kneed the blonde in the groin.

Naruto howled in pain as he was sent crashing into the television with another kick by the Vietnamese mercenary.

" I don't have the guts to? Let me make this clear to you that I kill people for a living, just like you and I have no qualms of slitting a murderer's throat," he said as he slowly brushed the shards of glass away from his bloodied shirt.

" Oh, so you're a mercenary as well? That's odd because I haven't seen or heard about you before. You look different too….are you from another country?" she looked puzzled as he shrugged.

" You can say that…"

" I'd love to stay and chat but my work here is done and I don't think that I'm ready to kill you tonight. It's a shame but don't worry, I'll make sure that the next time we cross paths, it will your last," she told him with a hint of malice in her voice as she prepared to jump off the balcony.

Naruto was determined to finish their fight but his body began to feel numb due to the amount of poison in his system. It would take a while before it was fully cleared and this slowed down his reflexes. As he prepared to chase after her, he suddenly remembered why he came to Gotham City. He wanted to seek help take out Sasuke and Konoha since he couldn't do it alone and it suddenly dawned on him that this woman could be of use to him.

" Cheshire! Wait for a moment and come back inside because I want to talk to you about something," Naruto called out to the mercenary who looked genuinely surprised but still adhered to his request. She expected Naruto to ambush her but he just sat down on the couch and glared at her.

" What did you want to talk to me about? Didn't you say that you wanted to kill me just a while ago? Why the change of heart…"

"The name is Naruto Uzumaki,"

" Naruto….You're Japanese! How interesting. I don't usually encounter lots of Asian mercenaries in Star City or Gotham City. Well, what do you want to talk about?" she purred as Naruto took a deep breath before explaining his current situation while excluding Zatanna's involvement for her safety.

Cheshire couldn't help but stare in disbelief at Naruto because his story seemed so farfetched yet believable.

" So I'll pay you two million dollars if you join my team and kill Sasuke. No payment up front and the money will be delivered to you once the mission is completed. Are you interested?"

Cheshire whistled at the astronomical sum of her paycheck and she tapped her chin playfully before sauntering over to the blonde who took up a fighting stance.

She began to massage his shoulders and brushed her lips against his ear which sent a tingling sensation down his spine.

" Three million and you got yourself a deal, Deathstroke," she whispered huskily into his ear before getting up and returning to her seat. Naruto grumbled at her request but he knew that three million dollars was ajust price in killing Sasuke and carrying out his orders.

" Fine, Cheshire. You have a deal but you mentioned something about Slade wanting to form a new team of super villains before he vanished. Did he plan on including you?" Naruto asked her as Cheshire nodded and sighed.

" We were quite excited about it but it never came true once he disappeared. I was hoping to get a glimpse of life under the leadership of the legendary Deathstroke but you'll do, Naruto. Besides, you are the new Deathstroke right?" she grinned as Naruto merely grunted.

" Besides, we need more people to join the Titans….maybe two others perhaps?" she quipped as Naruto gave her a strange look.

" The Titans? Who said that you could name the team? Since I'm the leader, I should be the one to come up with the name."

" Slade suggested it since the word meant a lot to him. I'm just saying that it's a cool name," she replied as Naruto softened once he heard her explanation.

" I guess Titans isn't that bad…The problem is that I need to find more people like you and I. Skilled, durable, kills without hesitations and intelligent. Do you have any suggestions?"

She thought for a while before shaking her head. " Sorry but haven't the faintest idea."

" Mr. Bowden? Are you alright sir? There are intruders in the compound and we are hoping that you could give us our orders," a gruff voice came from outside the door.

" Shit, it's the guards. They must have found out about me," Naruto cursed as he ran to the balcony but Cheshire was already waiting for him.

" I have to report back to my employer and collect my reward, captain but feel free to contact me if you wish to discuss further about the team," she winked at him as she handed him a piece of paper with her mobile phone number scrawled on it.

Before he could finish his sentence, she had already disappeared and Naruto could hear the guards trying to break down the door.

" This is going to be a lot of work," he sighed as he jumped off the balcony and escaped the compound.

Zatanna was watching the midnight news as she heard a knock on the door. She glanced at the clock which read half past twelve and she looked through the key hole to see the waving figure of Naruto.

She slowly opened the door and gasped as she took in the bloodied and bruised figure of the young man. " Sorry for keeping you waiting, Zatanna, but I kind of ran into some thugs on the way back"

" I actually thought that you weren't coming back after your little tantrum," she said curtly as she folded her arms, expecting an apology form him. Naruto gave a small smile before reaching out to hold her hand and giving it a small squeeze.

Zatanna blushed light pink as Naruto nodded and pulled her into a tight hug.

" What has gotten into you?" she laughed as Naruto buried his head into her hair, taking it the sweet smell of her lavender shampoo.

" I'm sorry for being such an asshole this morning, Zatanna. I shouldn't have been so rude to you and I know that you're just worried about me."

" Uh….huh…..but still, it isn't like you to show such affection in the open. Did something happen while you were out or do you have something to tell me? Hold on, I demand to know why you look as if you got used as a target for boxing class," she said firmly as she pushed him away form her and looked expectantly at her.

"I guess after a long and rough day, sometimes I can't help but wish for some comfort. It's a long story and I'm dead tired so can we talk about this tomorrow?" Naruto said wearily as Zatanna sighed and pushed him to the shower.

" If you need any help cleaning your wounds, you can call me," she smiled as she closed the bathroom door and went back to the living room.

What she saw on the news stunned her as there was a live report regarding the corpse which was discovered at the theatre she had just come back from.

A wave of horror struck her as she hoped that Naruto didn't have anything to do with the murder but it couldn't be ruled out. After all, he shows up back at the apartment with blood soaked clothes and multiple slashes. That just didn't sit well with the magician.

" Naruto?" she called out as she walked over to his room to find the blonde snoring gently in his bed. Zatanna decided to ask him tomorrow when he was in better condition. She began to yawn as she switched off the television and went back to her own room.

" It's funny how you can't stop worrying about a stranger that you just met," she murmured before drifting off to sleep.

Naruto slowly opened his eyes and reached out for his mobile phone. Zatanna had gotten him one in case he got lost in the city and he needed to contact her.

He stared at the row of black digits scrawled on the piece of paper and flopped back down on his bed.

" So, this is how it begins….Me leading a team of super villains…If that was Slade's original idea, I guess it can't be that bad," he thought to himself as he sent a text saying " Scumbag? You're in the team, right?" to the number.

Naruto didn't want to admit it but he could see his goal being achieved if he assembled a good team to work for him. Sure he would lose a couple of million dollars, but he could always earn it back by going on more missions.

As Naruto prepared to switch off his phone, it vibrated as he received a reply from Cheshire. He opened it and he couldn't help but grin as he read her message which read

" Of course, DS. Do you miss me already, captain?"

**A/N This was a huge chapter to write and I'm pretty excited to see where this story goes. Please review and tell me what you think, suggestions and things like that. I am not writing based on the DC character history or anything. I hope you enjoyed the chapter and see you guys soon.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any DC characters in my story.**

" What do you mean that the two ANBU groups never made it back to the village?" Tsunade raged at Shizune who just looked apologetically at the Hokage.

" Tsunade, our rescue team has informed us that they have been killed by Naruto. There was not a single survivor but we did manage to locate his hiding place and searched through it for information."

" I can't believe it….Two of our best ANBU squads just got slaughtered by that filthy brat. So the rumours were true. Somehow, he has managed to attain a higher level of strength and power because even if he did win the fight, no doubt that he would have been seriously injured as well. Shizune, did they find the brat's body or tracks? What did you manage to recover from his house?" Tsunade asked her assistant.

" Our efforts were to no avail. All we managed to find were some clothes, gunpowder, knives and an old photograph," she replied as he handed over the framed photo of Naruto and Sakura taken during their wedding day.

Tsunade couldn't help but feel sad as her heart still had not fully recovered from her student's passing. She had lost a great medic and an even greater friend…She had treated Sakura as if she was her own daughter and imbued all her medical knowledge and fighting techniques into the pink-haired girl.

" Tsunade….are you alright?" Shizune asked her gently as Tsunade slowly opened her eyes and heaved a heavy sigh.

" I'm fine. I just lost my thoughts….but I still don't understand how our Ninja dogs couldn't sniff out that bastard's scent."

" That's the strange thing, Hokage-sama. His smelled just stopped in the middle of the forest with no tracks whatsoever. However, the dogs did pick up another foreign scent but couldn't identify it."

" Damn him…..It's no point sending hordes of ANBU after him because he is just going to kill them all anyway. I guess that I have no choice but to let him be for a while now. We have lost too many men, including Neji and Kakashi is still in the hospital. We'll just wait till he shows his face in the village again, and when he does, we will be prepared to capture him dead or alive!" Tsunade growled as Shizune gave her a small smile and nodded.

" You'll be happy to know that Hatake-san has been discharged from the hospital and will be returning from the Hidden Mist Village with Shikamaru's team. Word around town is that he saved the Mizukage's life," she laughed as Tsunade just gave another snort.

" I would expect nothing less from that man but his return will be timely as we will be able to gather more intelligence regarding Naruto and his motives."

As Shizune stepped out of her office, Tsunade just clenched her fists in frustration as she stole another glance at the tuxedo-clad Naruto in the photograph.

" What happened to the boy that I had so much hope and faith in? You were destined to become a great Hokage but you just threw it away…stupid brat," she muttered as the beaming visage of the ten-year old whiskered boy popped into her head.

**Back in Gotham…**

Naruto gingerly rubbed his thumb over the visible hole in his Deathstroke suit as the countless battles have taken its toll on the fabric and that last battle with the ANBU was the breaking point.

" Ordinary needle and thread won't do much for my costume. I have no idea where I am going to get the stuff needed to fix the hole in it and I doubt Zatanna could conjure me up a brand new suit. I guess it was one of those things Slade forgot to mention."

He stuffed his suit in his knapsack and hopped into the bathroom to take a shower. As he turned on the faucet to let the hot water engulf him, last night's incidents came hurtling back to him.

The murder at the theatre, the confrontation with Cheshire, the proposal of recruiting a team of villains to do carry out his mission and not to mention the headache of finding suitable members who were interested in the razing of the Hidden Leaf Village.

" Captain…Something I have never been called my entire life. Looks like I have expectations to live up to. I can't afford to screw this mission up because everyone is putting their life on the line, including myself," he murmured as he stepped out of the shower and got dressed.

" Naruto? Are you in there? It's time for breakfast," Zatanna knocked on his door and Naruto gave a small smile as he poked his head outside and gestured for an extra five minutes.

" Zatanna will probably castrate me if she finds out my ulterior motives but why the hell should she care? These guys are already wasting their life being in and out of prison so why should one more mission be a problem?" he continued thinking as he packed his knapsack and quickly stuffed the piece of paper with Cheshire's number scrawled on it into his pocket.

" So Zatanna, what's for breakfast? I'm in the mood for some scrambled eggs and porridge," he grinned as he stepped into the kitchen to find her tucking in into a tub of low-fat Greek yoghurt, oatmeal cereal and a glass of milk.

" I guess not then. I'll just have some toast and coffee although I would have figured that you were a woman who watched what she ate," Naruto smirked as the magician raised an eyebrow at him and set down her tub.

" Really? What gave it away? The cartons of celery juice or the packets of oatmeal?" she laughed as Naruto popped in two pieces of bread into the toaster.

" Neither. It's only natural that you didn't get that body of yours just by fighting criminals and prancing about on stage."

Zatanna was lost for words as the blonde mercenary chuckled to himself as he could feel her struggle to come up with a good response.

" I actually do spar occasionally and I hit the gym regularly but what exactly are you implying?"

" That you have a very alluring figure," Naruto chuckled as Zatanna turned a light shade of pink before pulling down her white tank top which displayed her ample cleavage.

" Stop being such a pervert, you idiot! But then again, am I one of the best looking girls that you have seen?" she teased him as Naruto hummed a tune before joining her at the table.

" If I say yes, would you make me a proper breakfast tomorrow because I really miss your cooking," he replied as she scoffed and flicked a piece of oatmeal on his face.

" Naruto, we need to talk about last night though. I want to know if you knew anything about the murder at my theatre and the assassination of Mark Bowden. I'm not accusing you of anything but I just think that you showing up here, covered in blood and injuries is quite unsettling," she said seriously as she folded her arms and stared into his steely blue eyes.

Zatanna caught a glimpse of a ghost of a frown before he broke into a placid smile and shrugged. " Like I said, I was cornered by some street thugs who wanted to rob me so I taught them a thing or two. As for the murder at the theatre, I wasn't even there at that time so I don't know anything about it. You'd think I'd actually kill someone in your world and send the Justice League after my ass? No way," he replied confidently but she still wasn't convinced.

" You're hiding something, Naruto and I want to know what it is. Look, I promise I'm not going to turn you in to Batman or the Justice League if you did it. I just want to know what happened to you because you looked like hell last night," she reassured him as Naruto didn't even flinch.

" That is the truth. I don't know anything about the murder and I'm not scare of Batman, Zatanna. He may be the protector of this city but I have done no wrong," he replied stubbornly as Zatanna finally hardened and gave him an ultimatum.

" Fine. If I do find out that you lied to me, I'm going to send you back to where you came from after I kick you sorry ass. And for the record, if you mess with me, you mess with Batman. Trust me, you do not want to get on his bad side," she tried her best to give an authoritative look as Naruto just listened in silence and took another bite out of his toast.

" Are you sure that you want to follow through with your threat?"

" Of course! I don't make promises that I can't keep."

Naruto gulped down the last morsel of toast before turning to face her. She bore the look of concern and frustration as the mercenary gave a small sigh.

" I discovered the dead body in the men's bathroom last night so I decided to teach the culprits a lesson. I saw Mark Bowden leaving the theatre with a man who had a gun in his coat pocket so I took off after them. When I reached his place, someone already did my job for me as that bastard was lying dead on the floor. Then, I beat up a few thugs on the way home," he told her.

" This man with the gun….Do you think that he might be the murderer? That woman was the representative of the nuclear power plant. He was probably hired by someone to take out Bowden and the lady because the deal for nuclear weapons fell through and I'm guessing that his employer wanted that to happen," she looked thoughtfully as Naruto shrugged.

" It's possible. I could try and find him if you want. After all, don't you want to bring him to justice?" he offered but Zatanna shook her head and got up.

" It's fine, Naruto. Gotham PD is already working on the case and I assure you that Commissioner Gordon is one of the best on the job."

" Hey, Zatanna. I'm sorry for making you worry last night. I didn't mean to come back so late but I had to take care of business. I'll see you at dinner?" he smiled as the sorceress rubbed her chin playfully as she sauntered over to him and traced a circle on his chest with her finger.

" Sure, what are we having tonight? I hope that you're cooking because I'll be too tired to do it," she said flirtatiously as Naruto pushed her away.

" I'll buy back some pizza? To be honest, I'm a lousy chef," he said jokingly as she let out a small grunt much to his amusement.

" Alright, alright even though we just had it a couple of days ago but only because, I don't want you blowing up my kitchen. The neighbours will be pretty shocked if I fixed it in a few minutes."

" Zatanna!" Naruto called out to her as she was preparing to enter her bedroom.

" Yes?"

" Your show isn't half bad at all. I liked that snow act of yours. Mind giving me a private show one of these days?" he winked as Zatanna glowed at his praise.

" Perhaps but I think that you want another kind of private show from me and frankly, I don't do house calls," she giggled as Naruto smirked before exiting her apartment.

Zatanna bit her lip as she didn't feel comfortable with Naruto's sudden boisterous behaviour.

" Something isn't right. This isn't how he usually acts. I've been with him for a couple of days and I'm pretty sure that he is still the same sullen, cold and grumpy man. He is definitely hiding something. I would shadow him today but I have to get to the theatre to clean up the mess that he found," she thought as she changed into her usual outfit.

" If Bruce finds out about Naruto living with me, there would be no end to the interrogations and questioning and I don't think that I want to get involved so I'm just hoping that Naruto doesn't do something stupid today."

Naruto sat on a bench at the park and kept on rereading the text message that Cheshire had sent him.

" _Just give me a call and I'll meet you there," were her last words to him before she left Bowden's mansion._

Naruto left the park and slipped into the alley as he quickly dialed Cheshire's number and pressed the phone against his ear.

" Yes Naruto, this is Cheshire speaking. What can I do for you?" a sultry reply from the other end of the line was heard as Naruto snorted and whispered furiously.

" Where are you now? I want to meet up to discuss about the Titans!"

" Of course, captain but I'm a bit busy right now," she purred as he heard the sound of agonizing screams in the background.

" Another day at the office I presume?"

" Hm…you can say that but I'm almost done. These guys aren't even putting up a decent fight," she said as she slashed another man's throat with her dagger.

" Don't get cocky with me, Cheshire. Where do I meet you?" he growled as she hummed before snapping her fingers.

" Meet me at the Crime Alley in East End. I'll be there in an hour."

" Crime Alley? Is that really its name? It sounds like a big joke to me," he said as Cheshire just smirked and from the other side and huffed.

" Well, that is the name of the rendezvous so don't you forget it, captain. Besides, you might be able to scout around for some new team members there since that part of town is crawling with notorious criminals, just dying to rip someone's throat out. Who knows? Maybe they might rip yours out if you're not careful," she chuckled as Naruto's blood began to boil.

"I don't remember asking for your opinion. You're just pissing me off right now, scumbag. And if that's the case, I will go and check out this Crime Alley. I might be able to recruit some less irritating members," he replied sardonically much to Cheshire's amusement.

" Don't be late! I won't stand for tardiness in my team, you got that?"

" Mhmmm….whatever you heart desires, captain," she laughed before ending the call.

He proceeded to pull out the map of Gotham and traced his finger till he found the red dot which marked East End of Gotham.

" It's not too far from here. I think I'll be able to get there in half an hour," he thought as he stuffed the map into his knapsack and exited the dark alley.

Naruto noticed the change in atmosphere and volume of people as he segued from the heart of Gotham to the east end. Pristine buildings and gargantuan skyscrapers were replaced with dilapidated shop houses and abandoned towers. The cacophonous mixture of people's voices and honking vehicles were quickly forgotten as an eerie silence hung in the air. This reminded him of the slums or even an abandoned community.

Naruto was unperturbed by the ominous and dangerous vibe that he felt as he entered the east of Gotham. There were fights everywhere and people were being chased all over the place. Each one of them wielded some sort of weapon ranging from an ordinary Glock to an UZI submachine gun. Victims' screams and pleas were unanswered as the police were not able to handle so many criminals at once.

" Geez, this place certainly lives up to its name. Why the hell did Cheshire ask me to meet her here? Couldn't she have just settled for a local bar or something? These bastards are pissing me off just by looking at me."

All activities ceased as Naruto casually strolled through the crossfire of nefariousness without even batting an eyelid which surprised everyone present as the blonde didn't seem to mind the atrocities that were rolled out in front of his azure eyes.

" I wonder where I should wait for that scumbag? Everywhere seems to be a mess," he muttered to himself much to the amusement of the criminals.

They left their initial activities and slowly approached the mercenary from all directions with a maniacal and evil glint in their eyes. Guns were drawn and knives and were sharpened as the other citizens slinked back in fear for his safety.

" Hands in the air and cough up your valuables if you spare your miserable little life," a skinny man threatened as he pointed the barrel of his gun to Naruto's forehead. The blonde merely stopped momentarily before clicking his tongue and sidestepping the enraged thug.

" Hey, are you deaf? I said give me the fucking money of I'll blow you bloody brains out!" he screamed as Naruto shot him a weary look before continuing his walk.

The sounds of gunshot rang through the air as the man emptied his chamber into the back of the blonde's head. Some passer-bys could only cover their mouths with their hands as they failed to comprehend the thug's cruelty.

" Well, fuck you asshole!" the thug laughed as Naruto began to sway before regaining his composure much to the amazement of the thug.

" Is that the best you got? If so, then please don't waste my time. I don't have the time to deal with small fries like you. Besides, a lobotomy packs a bigger punch to my head than that ant bite," he said calmly as he spun around and cracked his knuckles.

Everyone was catatonically rooted to the spot as he had just survived five shots to the head. The thug began shaking as he fumbled to reload his gun but Naruto calmly dashed to him and cracked his neck with a shift of his hands.

The other thugs began firing their machine guns and rifles at the mercenary who calmly dodged the incoming bullets and proceeded to toss a grenade to the centre of the circle.

" It's a grenade! Watch out!" they roared as a big explosion engulfed the vicinity and blinded the citizens. Naruto hid behind a van as he sniffed contemptuously at the charred remains of the thugs standing there before.

" Don't push your luck, you weaklings," he sneered as he stole a glance from his watch which read half past four. He sighed as he approached a terrified woman who quickly wrapped her arms around her young daughter and shielded her from him.

" Miss, you don't need to worry because I'm not going to harm you or your daughter or any of these innocent people. I just want to know where I could find something to eat," he inquired as he gave her a small smile and extended his hand towards her.

The woman hesitated before pointing towards a local diner.

" Are you even human?" she squeaked as Naruto raised a blonde eyebrow and just scratched his head.

" Yes, I am. But I seem to act more like a monster nowadays and that really can't be helped. Thanks for the directions anyway," he chuckled before strolling to the dingy looking diner.

" I could use a sandwich and a glass of beer if this dump of a place has them," he thought to himself as he prepared to push the entrance door.

Suddenly, a loud bang echoed through the perimeter as Naruto was sent hurtling inside the diner. He spat out a wad of blood as he looked at the gaping hole in his chest which had lacerated skin and bones surrounding it.

" Are you the guy who blew up my men in the streets?" a deep voice boomed in front of the mercenary.

Naruto narrowed his eyes at the tall figure standing in front of him with a shotgun in his hand. The figure wore a brown leather jacket, black trousers with combat boots and had a red mask with two holes for eyes.

" Yea, I am. What's the big idea blasting me right through my chest with a shotgun? You could have killed me you know," he snorted as he picked himself up from the floor and folded his arms.

" That shot should have killed you and yet, you are still standing as if it was just a punch to the face. I don't think that you're human….but I don't give a damn what you are because you just killed my team!" the red masked figure roared as he fired a few more shots towards the mercenary who hit behind the diner counter and rifled through his knapsack for his Berettas.

" I'm not going to let you off the hook for that but you still haven't answered my question yet. Who or what are you?" the figure said as he slowly entered the diner and drew his Magnum pistols.

" It is pointless if I tell you because you're going to take that information to the grave anyway, you bastard," Naruto replied as he jumped over the counter and fired his Beretta's at the man.

The figure dodged all his shots before firing a shot which hit Naruto in the leg. He winced in pain as the figure rushed towards him while continuing to fire.

" You just won't stay down, will you?" the figure said as Naruto got hit a few more times but still managed to evade the incoming hail of bullets.

" I never did like the passive approach," he retorted as he did a somersault and threw a tear gas canister towards the figure who quickly pulled a gas mask from his pocket wore it.

" Tear gas won't work on me, you fool because I came prepared. How about you stop hiding like the rodent you are and finish the fight, you coward!" he yelled as he dropped his pistols and drew his favorite dagger.

The figure moved quietly across the room searching through every booth as he looked for Naruto. His eye twitched as he suddenly spun around and sent the blonde crashing into the jukebox with a swift kick to the face.

" That's one of the worst attempts to sneak up on me. Your footsteps are as heavy as an elephant's and I could sense your breathing from a mile away," the figure lectured Naruto who groggily shook his head before dodging another oncoming kick.

" I don't need to be lectured by a tomato wearing thug on fighting techniques," he grunted in response as he sent the masked figure tumbling into a booth with an uppercut. Naruto proceeded to charge at him and send a flurry of punches as the figure couldn't keep up and was eventually dealt a beating.

The figure lay on the ground panting as Naruto prepared to land the finishing blow on him. As Naruto swung his fist forward, the masked figure rolled to the side with ease and stabbed his side with his dagger.

" A stab won't do you much good, I'm afraid," Naruto smirked as the masked figure coolly got up from the floor and laughed.

" It will when the blade is laced with King cobra venom from the Amazon forest. The venom should quickly spread through your body and severe your nervous system soon. You will die a quick and painful death," he said as he repeatedly punched the mercenary.

Naruto's vision began to blur and his head began to start spinning. " Damn it…even with my regeneration abilities, it will take some time for my body to produce the antidote. I didn't think that his venom would be this potent."

Naruto swung a punch wildly as the figure calmly sidestepped him and sent him crumbling to the ground with a big punch to the cheek followed by a Judo chop to the neck.

" Hey cherry head, not a bad move with the poison….Would you mind granting a dying man's last wish? What is your name?" Naruto feigned innocence as the masked figure put his foot firmly on his chest and stared at him.

" It's Red Hood to you….You're not bad for a little punk but I don't think that I could have let you live for killing my friends. We don't need any more criminals fucking this town over especially since none of them are ever killed by that idiot anyway," Red Hood muttered.

" I'm Naruto Uzumaki and I'm guessing that this idiot is Batman?" he mused as the Red Hood's sullen expression changed into an angry one.

" That's right.. So its up to me bring scum like you to justice because nobody should be able to do as they please and not face the consequences!"

" Wait…..you should be dead by now! The venom should have killed you! What is happening?" Red Hood said angrily as Naruto fished a lighter from his pocket and smirked.

" Play time is over, Red because I'm expecting a friend soon and I don't want to be tardy. Just close your eyes because this is going to hurt…for the both of us," Naruto replied as the Red Hood growled in response.

" What are you babbling about?"

The young blonde tossed the lighter into the air and the last thing that both of them remembered was a massive explosion which engulfed both of them and sent the whole place crumbling to the floor.

The Gotham Fire Brigade was alerted as they rushed to the scene to put out the towering flames while the Gotham police evacuated the citizens to safety and secured the area.

The acrid smell of roasted flesh and blood wafted through the cool and crisp air as a bloodied and singed Naruto weakly picked himself out of the rubble and crawled over to the unconscious and equally injured Red Hood whose mask had been blown off to reveal a young face with raven hair.

" Are you always this wild, Naruto?" Cheshire purred from the top of the tree as she hopped down and helped the blonde to his feet.

" No and I'm still pissed because you're an hour late."

" I'm sorry but I had to find a good place to dispose of the dead bodies. What made you go ballistic?" she said amused as she scoured the burning remains and the unconscious body of Red Hood.

" I'll tell you when we get back but grab that man and let's get out of here. Could we seek refuge at your place?"

Cheshire frowned as she valued her privacy and didn't fancy the idea of strange men using her apartment as a hospital but then again, this was her leader asking. She shrugged and propped the unconscious man across her shoulders before the trio disappeared from the arson scene.

"Commissioner, all the surveillance cameras within a two mile radius have been severed due to the magnitude of the blast but some witnesses said that they saw the Red Hood getting involved in a fight in the diner right before it exploded," Batman told Commissioner Jim Gordon who just furrowed his eyebrows and adjusted his glasses.

" Red hood eh? He has been awfully low-key so far but I couldn't' possibly understand why he would want to cause a ruckus in Crime Alley. This place doesn't have any connections to his crime syndicate," Jim replied as Batman merely nodded.

" Jim, the Red Hood's objective is to control crime allover Gotham and not just the main city. Even if it means getting his hands dirty with the East End, no doubt that he would probably do something about it," he replied stoically as he spied the charred lighter and tear gas canister belonging to Naruto beneath a pile of wood.

" Find anything?" Jim inquired the masked hero who merely narrowed his eyes and spun around to the police commissioner.

" A possibility that this was no accident. Jim, we might be dealing with another villain over here. Round up your team and search for other clues."

" What about you…" Jim faltered as Batman had disappeared into thin air once again.

**Back in the Batcave….**

" Master Bruce, it's time for supper. Master Tim is already in the dining halland eagerly waiting your arrival. I do not think that he would fancy waiting till you finish your analysis," Alfred told Bruce who continued analyzing the lighter and the canister.

" Methane gas? That explains the large explosion but who would be crazy enough to set a whole room full of methane gas ablaze? I don't think that Jason would do such a thing. It might have killed him. Alfred, I think that we are dealing with a meta-human here," Bruce told his butler who raised an eyebrow.

" Quite possibly, Master Bruce. I don't think that anyone else would be crazy enough to pull of such a ridiculous stunt. It might have killed the both of them but I'm sure that Master Jason isn't the loony one," Alfred replied as Bruce carried out a DNA scan on both the items but the screen stated that no matches could be found.

" Alfred, isn't this strange as well? The fingerprints on these items don't have a match with anyone in the data. Could the perpetrator possibly be skilled enough to cover his own fingerprints or is he not human?"

Alfred seemed slightly puzzled at the result and placed a gloved hand on the billionaire's shoulder.

" The latter would be more sensible, Master Bruce, seeing that he is not entirely human and the fact that the computer is not able to even identify a single match baffles me. Master Bruce, Master Tim seems to be calling for you."

" Tell him that I'll be there in five minutes, Alfred," Bruce smiled at the butler who nodded and left the Bat cave to placate the hungry sidekick.

Bruce tapped his finger on the table as his computer failed to find any DNA match.

" I know one person that should be able to track this perpetrator down. I hope that Zatanna is in," he thought to himself as he wore back his cowl and went to find her.

**A/N I hope you guys are well and please leave your comments and reviews because I will appreciate it if you do and I love constructive criticism. I hope you guys enjoyed the story and I'll see you guys in the next chapter.**


	7. Chapter 7

" So what's the story? You've been awfully quiet," Cheshire purred as the both of them entered her apartment. She dumped the body on the couch as Naruto sat in the kitchen and sighed.

" Do you have a medical kit or something? I don't want him to die just yet because he is our newest addition to our team."

" Cheshire? Cheshire?" he called out as a beautiful woman with tanned olive skin, jade coloured eyes and long flowing black hair who wore a blue kimono came out of the bathroom.

"You can call me Jade, Naruto. I wouldn't want you to keep using my alias in public because it might raise suspicions. Did you have something to say?"

" Yea. This Red hood guy is our newest team member. His combat skills are exceptional and he seems to have a vast knowledge on poisons and weapons. We might have stumbled across another top mercenary," Naruto said as Cheshire's eyes widened.

" Did you say Red Hood? He is the biggest crime lord in Gotham at the moment since Black Mask was incarcerated in Arkham Asylum again. I don't think that a man like him would agree to join you in your little quest for redemption," she said airily as Naruto dipped a piece of gauze in hydrogen peroxide and began cleaning Red Hood's wounds.

" It will be a bigger problem if his wounds become infected. I'm just doing this to keep him alive so wipe that grin off your face," Naruto growled as Jade simply waltzed to the cupboard and poured herself a glass of whisky.

" Want me to pour you a glass, Naruto?" she smiled as the blonde merely grunted in response.

" It would be good if there was some ice to go with it," he hinted as she just chuckled and added a few ice cubes into the bronze coloured liquid.

" Crap…I forgot that I was supposed to pick up some pizza for Zatanna and I. She is going to murder me!" he thought to himself as his watch read half past eight.

" Jade, could you tend to Red Hood while I make an important phone call?"

" Fine. Who are you calling anyway? Your girlfriend?" she snickered as he shot her an irritated look before stepping outside her apartment.

" Hello?"

" Zatanna, its Naruto here. I'm so sorry that I forgot to pick up pizza for the both of us. I got carried away at the bar with some new friends of mine and I didn't realize that I was on dinner duty tonight. I promise that I will make it up to you so please don't be angry," he blurted out.

There was a pause on the other side before she gave a small laugh much to his relief as Zatanna couldn't help but feel happy for him.

" It's fine, Naruto. I'm just glad that you're able to find some new friends so quickly since you told me that you didn't have any friends back in your world. What are they like?" she smiled as Naruto couldn't help but feel delighted that she was actually concerned abut him.

" Well, they are tourists who happen to be a married couple but boy, they could out-drink me. They must have the stomach of a camel," he replied as the enchantress giggled.

" I'm going to crash at their place if that's fine with you?"

" Hm…I guess that should be fine. Where is their place?"

"It's at the North end of Gotham. Its not a hotel because they rented an apartment," he replied.

" Well, I see. Enjoy yourself, Naruto and just promise me that you'll stay out of trouble," she said seriously as Naruto bit his lip before coughing out his response.

" Sure thing and Zatanna?"

" Yes?"

" I already miss you," he whispered as Zatanna gripped the phone tighter to her ear and swallowed the lump in her throat.

" Really? Well….I'm flattered and all but sycophantic drivel isn't going to work on me. Now go and enjoy the rest of the night! Your friends are waiting for you," she blushed as Naruto grinned and smiled at his phone.

" You enjoy yourself too and I'll see you tomorrow," he said before ending the call.

" Who is the lucky lady?" a sultry voice came from behind as he quickly spun around to see Jade's wide smirk. He turned purple and pushed her out of his way.

" None of your business, Jade. She is just a friend of mine but anyway, how is Red Hood holding up?" he asked as Jade just followed him back to the living room.

" Why don't you ask him yourself?" she said as he frowned and was met with the angry glare of Red Hood from the couch.

" Oh….you're awake? I didn't expect you to be conscious till tomorrow."

" Cut the crap, bastard. Where am I and who the hell is she? Wait….you're Narito or Narudo or something like that right?"

" It's Naruto and I believe that you might have heard of the assassin, Cheshire. Her real name is Jade and don't you forget it."

" Oh, and why not?" Red Hood challenged him.

" Because that's an order form your team leader!" he said simply as Red Hood began to burst into peals of laughter.

" Team leader? What are you? A nutjob? You and I are enemies and I still don't get how you are still alive after that explosion. That's right! Where the hell did that come from? Are you some kind of meta human with the power of fire?"

Naruto and Jade exchanged a glance before they broke out into a small laugh much to Red Hood's chagrin.

" You've got the meta human part right but no, I don't have the power of fire. That canister of tear gas which I threw contained a high volume of methane gas mixed in it. Methane is a colourless and odourless gas so you couldn't smell it. When it is mixed with oxygen in the air, it becomes a very volatile and combustible mixture which explodes upon contact with heat. When I threw that lighter into the air, that was enough to ignite the whole room," he explained and Jade looked genuinely impressed at the blonde.

Red Hood was sullen but he just shrugged as he knew that he had lost fair and square but mostly due to his complacency and lack of awareness.

" You're a strong man to be able to survive a blast like that. I was kind of hoping that you wouldn't be dead because I could use someone like you on my team. What do you say, Mr…?" Naruto continued.

" Jason Todd. Just call me Jason. What team? But what kind of meta-human are you? You seem pretty ordinary to me."

" I'm actually Deathstroke or in other words, Slade's successor," he said calmly as he began repeating his story to Jason who snorted in disgust.

" No wonder I haven't been seeing him around Gotham much. I thought that Batman had managed to dispose of him but turns out that he got sent to another dimension. I don't know what he was thinking though- passing on the mantle to a runt like you who comes from god forsaken village where ninjas live. However, he must have seen some potential in you because knowing him; he would never waste his time tutoring someone who wasn't worth his time."

" You have a way of complimenting people, you know that?" Naruto laughed.

" Slade was always too full of himself and thought that he could never be caught. I guess that age finally caught up to him. No wonder you're able to survive my poison and that explosion- you have a regenerative ability. Thanks for the offer but I'm not interested in joining your little band of merry men. I have a job to do….." but he was cut off by Jade.

" Jason Todd? You were Batman's old sidekick, weren't you? I thought that you had been killed by the Joker but I guess that it was a false report. But anyway, aren't all your motives and plans fueled by revenge against Batman and criminals? Correct me if I'm wrong but I've heard that you're just an antihero…You carry out organized crime and yet, you want to keep Gotham safe," Jade said as Jason clenched his fists and grit his teeth.

" You shouldn't have mentioned that old fool. I still haven't forgiven him yet for letting that clown kill me. I guess there isn't any point in lying to you guys since you're not affiliated with the bat. Yes, I plan to ensure that all the criminals in Gotham get the punishment that they deserve and the only way to control the crime in the city is by keeping track of it or becoming a crime lord-cum hero myself. Sure, I carry out my own business and kill a few people here and there but you can't make an omelette without breaking a few eggs."

" Well, close enough anyway. Join my team, Jason because I need someone who shares my interest in revenge and is not afraid of shedding some blood in order to achieve a bigger goal. I'll even throw in two million dollars if we succeed," he offered as Jason still looked skeptical at him.

" I don't need your money and what do I possibly hope to gain from killing this friend of yours and torching some old village? I have an organization to run as well," he growled.

Naruto heaved a heavy sigh and got up but Jade beckoned him towards her and whispered something into his ear. His blue eyes began to grow wide and his lip curled into a smirk

" Jason, what if I gave you two million dollars and since I'm a mercenary, you use that sum to hire me to take out other rival crime lords, perhaps Black Mask? A guy like him will break out of Arkham in no time. Well, what do you say?"

" I don't need your help. I can take out Black Mask myself….."

" And have Batman hot on your heels again? I don't think that you would want that. A reunion with your old partner," Jade said breezily as Jason flared up and barked at her.

" You better watch that mouth of yours, you bitch or I'll sew it shut for you!"

Jade just gave him a dangerous look as Naruto stepped between them and glared at the both of them.

" Jade, that's enough. Don't take too much into his empty threats and Jason, what's it going to be? If you refuse, I'm afraid that I'll just leave and let Jade take care of you. She might drop you back at your house or the nearest morgue," he said as Jason knew that he couldn't do anything in his state.

" Well..he has a point. I don't want Bruce to come after me just yet. If Naruto takes out Black Mask, Bruce and him can play cat and mouse while I'm able to continue doing my own thing. Besides, I don't really want to kill Bruce anymore anyway," he thought to himself.

" Fine, Deathstroke…."

" Just call me Naruto,"

"Naruto…..I'll join your team and help you with your mission but you better keep your end of the bargain after that or I swear that it's the last thing you'll ever do," Jason warned Naruto who broke into a big grin and shook his hand.

" Don't worry. A mercenary always carries out his job when he is paid to do so. But anyway, welcome to the Titans," he said merrily as Jade gave a small sarcastic clap of elation.

" Well, aren't we going to discuss our plans now that we're all here?" Jason yawned as Naruto shook his head and placed his hand on Jason's bandaged shoulder.

" We will do that tomorrow but tonight, we should get a good's night rest because its been a long day plus you need to regain your strength. Jade, is it alright if I sleep in the spare room?" Naruto asked the Vietnamese assassin who seemed reluctant at first but eventually relented.

" Good night, Jason and sorry if I was a bit too rough on you today," Naruto chuckled before closing his door.

Jade merely nodded at the fugitive before turning off the lights and entering her room.

Jason wouldn't admit it but secretly, he felt excited again to be part of a team and to have some interesting partners to cooperate with. Being the solitary figure head for controlled crime in Gotham wasn't very appealing to his friends and before he knew it, his friends had deserted him in fear of incurring his wrath. He had lived without friends for a long time and every time he was in Crime Alley, it evoked nostalgic memories of his first encounter with Batman and the day that he became Robin.

He was getting a decent deal out of this whole ordeal and lets face it, he was curious to work along side Slade's prodigy as well as the famous Cheshire. It seemed to him that they were forming a team of mercenaries but Naruto had great faith in him and was persistent in persuading Jason to join his team that the Red Hood couldn't help but feel just the slightly bit flattered.

Jason knew that there was animosity between his new team members and they got off on the wrong foot but he hoped that they could build a bond of trust or even friendship in the future because an opportunity like this was always rare.

**In Zatanna's apartment….**

Zatanna was preparing to go to bed when she felt a strong gust of wind blow past her as the windows gave a whimpering creak. She couldn't help but give a small smile as she didn't bother to turn around and merely continued walking towards the kitchen.

" Bruce, it's great to see you after so long but couldn't you have come just a little earlier? I was just going to hop into my warm bed and call it a night," she chuckled as the caped crusader silently emerged from the shadows.

" Zatanna, I have a favour to ask of you. I'm sure that you heard about the massive arson attack or explosion which took place in Crime Alley this afternoon? I have reason to believe that Red Hood was ambushed by an unknown assailant which might have taken him somewhere."

Batman showed her the canister of methane gas and she slowly took it from his gloved hand and inspected it.

" The perpetrator released a large volume of methane gas into the air and ignited it, causing a big enough explosion to wipe out an entire skyscraper. I need you to use your powers to track down the culprit because he isn't form this world," Batman said darkly as Zatanna's azure eyes grew wide at the last sentence of his explanation.

" It can't be…No…." she thought to herself as she remembered her recent phone call with Naruto.

Bruce's eyes narrowed as he could see the change in her expression and he quickly marched din front of her and folded his arms across his chest.

" Zatanna, if you know something, I expect answers because I don't want to have to interrogate you or prosecute you under the rules of the League," he continued as the magician regained her composure and squared her chin to his.

" Bruce, I was just thinking about the dozens of lives that could have been lost if it had been released into the streets of Gotham! I am not hiding anything from you and I don't think that you should be threatening someone who you're asking a favour from!" she snapped as Bruce merely narrowed his eyes.

" Fine, but I need you to lead me to the culprit or more importantly, give me a visual image of him since he isn't registered in the Bat computer's database."

Zatanna nodded and began to sense the spiritual energy emanating from the canister. Her eyes began to glow a faint white as she began chanting a string of spells as Bruce eagerly anticipated the results.

Zatanna was busy sifting through the mantras of all the people who touched it in her mind but her thoughts came to a juddering halt when an image of Naruto removing the pin and tossing it onto the ground cropped up.

" So it was him…..that bastard! He said that he was at his friend's place! I am going to castrate that blonde buffoon once he comes back but I promised him that I wouldn't tell Bruce about him…..But Naruto just committed arson and crime on Gotham grounds and I can't just let that slide," she thought to herself.

" Zatanna, do you see anything or anyone out of the ordinary?" Bruce asked as Zatanna silently shook her head and continued sifting through the mantras.

" Nothing out of the ordinary yet, Bruce," she replied as the dark knight just growled in frustration and played back the images of the crime scene on his wrist watch.

" Keep looking, Zatanna. That canister is bound to give us the answers that we are looking for."

" But why would Naruto go after Red Hood and how did he know that he would be there today? Naruto, what aren't you telling me?" she thought but she froze as she realized that she had mumbled those exact same words aloud and it didn't go unheard by Batman.

She ended the spell as Bruce clenched his fists and walked up to her with a menacing glare.

" Zatanna, who is this Naruto and why should he tell you anything? Wait…," Bruce paused as he swiftly rushed to the guest room much to Zatanna's horror as she tried to stop him but it was too late as Batman rattled the locked door.

He slipped a pin out of his utility belt and began to pick the lock as Zatanna began sweating profusely as the thought about the dire consequences if he found out that she had been sheltering a killer, so she did the only thing possible.

" Egaggab Enogeb!" she whispered as she waved her hand into a full circle around Naruto's room just before Bruce opened the door.

Bruce turned the room upside down before picking up a few old shirts worn by the mercenary.

" Zatanna, This Naruto is your new roommate isn't he? You lied to me just now when I asked you whether you knew anything regarding the attack. You are housing a possible criminal and you think that that isn't against the law? What were you thinking?!" he growled as Zatanna grit her teeth and snorted.

" Look Bruce, you have no proof that he was responsible for what happened today and you think that I would have known that my new roommate destroyed buildings and chases crime lords during his spare time? Give me a break," she laughed mockingly as Batman just shook his head and continued rifling through his room.

" Where is Naruto? Why isn't he back here?" he asked dangerously as Zatanna just shrugged and waved her hand dismissively at him.

" Who knows? He disappeared this morning and hasn't called since. Why don't you start looking for him now instead of interrogating a fellow crime fighter who doesn't know much about him?" she challenged him.

" Zatanna, I need you to tell me everything you know about him because if you don't, more lives will be at stake if this unknown vigilante is allowed to roam the streets freely and that is not going to happen under my watch," he said as Zatanna grew purple in the face and shifted uneasily.

" Is playing house with him more important than our job? Since when did you allow your personal life to dictate your work life? The Zatanna that I knew ten years ago would have never turned her back on justice," he said darkly as Zatanna shook her head and moved to slap her face but he quickly caught her hand.

" Bruce, I am not playing house with him and how dare you act as if I have abandoned the superhero life?! It was an honest mistake and I don't think that you have any right to be lecturing me on personal life when you haven't even made a serious move on Red Hood!" she yelled as his eyes grew wide in shock at her uncanny outburst.

The mention of Jason seemed to imbue with him a sense of regret as he dropped her hand and proceeded to give her an ominous look.

"You don't know anything about what happened between Jason and I so I think that you should watch what you're saying, Zatanna," he growled in a low voice as she took a step back, fearing that she may have crossed the line.

" Bruce….I didn't mean it that way…" she replied but Batman just turned away and walked to the window.

" I did make a move on Red Hood once during an encounter with the Joker but he escaped before I managed to capture him. It's not that I don't want to throw the shackles at him but after that, what's going to happen to him? He would probably be locked up in Arkham Asylum for the rest of his days unless he is on parole. As much as he is a criminal and a menace to the city, he was still my partner and…I don't want to make the same mistake twice," Bruce muttered as a look of remorse replaced his steely gaze which did not go unnoticed by her.

" Zatanna, I need to know what Naruto has done with Jason because I don't want him killed! Jason might have even killed your roommate if he wasn't careful…so please Zatanna. I need to know how he looks like and his whereabouts because J'onn is away on a mission and you're the only one besides Circe who has the power to track him down through psychometry."

The magician was torn between Bruce's request and her promise to Naruto and either option will result in the possibility of losing a friend or an ally. She was a superhero and nothing mattered most than protecting the lives of the innocent and fighting villains but she couldn't just lead Naruto to a slaughterhouse. Not after he rescued her from those ninjas.

" Zatanna, I need your cooperation! We don't have much time because who knows what might have happened during this period!" Bruce raised his voice which was laced with impatience and frustration.

She took a deep breath and sighed.

" Naruto's at the Starling Condominium at the North end of Gotham. You should be able to get there in twenty minutes if the traffic is minimal," she quietly replied as Bruce gave a silent nod and walked towards the window.

" Bruce! Don't hurt him or lock him up in that madhouse! He is still a friend of mine and is yet to be proven guilty," she told him defiantly as Batman merely ignored her request and disappeared into the night.

Zatanna felt terrible for betraying Naruto's trust but her duty as a superhero came first and if Naruto was responsible for the recent attacks and arsons, he would have to be contained immediately for the safety of the citizens of Gotham.

She closed her eyes and tried not to scream in frustration but managed to calm herself down and headed towards her closet.

" Bruce already knows that I would be following him," she said dryly as she took out her superhero costume from the closet.

**Back in Cheshire's apartment…..**

Jason couldn't sleep just yet because he had just received a text message from one of his men stating that the other smaller crime syndicates under his reign were revolting and turning against him. Since the news about Red Hood's disappearance spread like wildfire, various rumours had started to be thrown around the neighbourhood.

He was assumed to be either captured of dead with the latter being everyone's preferred choice. With this hasty conclusion, the other crime lords under his protection and reign decided to throw caution to the wind and break free of his grasp. Jason's men did not know what hit them as they were swiftly massacred by the onslaught of gangsters and mobsters.

He had already lost control of several key ports which were for the cargo ships and it seemed that his disappearance had caused a mad scramble for his old title which was the biggest crime lord in Gotham.

Jason grit his teeth in frustration as he knew that his men would be overwhelmed by the onslaught but he was in no state to get down there and sort things out.

" What the fuck is going on here…..?" he murmured to himself as he switched off his mobile phone and placed it on the table.

Batman hopped from rooftop to rooftop in pursuit of the blonde mercenary and his old partner but he was stopped in his tracks as he witnessed a civil war between Jason's men and other rival gangs.

Normally, Batman would have left it to the Gotham police department since he was in a hurry but the emergence of Bane plowing through Red Hood's men caught his attention and he swooped towards the hulking figure.

" You've been running around like a group of headless chickens since Red hood went missing. However, I'm under strict orders to wipe out every last man working for him," growled Bane as he killed another of Jason's men by breaking his neck.

" Orders? From who? The boss would never leave us without further notice and you bastard shouldn't get too cocky because once he comes back and finds out what you have done, he is going to chop you to pieces and feed you to the sharks," another henchman grinned as the masked villain merely bashed his skull open with a punch to the forehead.

" These puny weaklings aren't even worth the money that he paid me," Bane laughed to the men on his side.

" Maybe I can ask him to lower your reward once you've told me his name," a dangerous voice echoed through the streets as the masked villain just smirked and cracked his knuckles.

" Batman, you're too late because all of Red Hood's men here are dead."

Suddenly, a batarang whizzed through the air and perforated the wall behind them. The batarang beeped before detonating sending most of the men sprawling but had little effect on Bane.

" Stay out of this Batman, this has nothing to do with you. As much as I would love to break your puny spine again, my boss would get really upset if I wasted any more time here," Bane grunted but the dark knight merely narrowed his eyes and hurled himself towards Bane.

Bane swung a large arm towards him but Bruce went under his arm and landed a hard kick to his jaw which sent the murderer staggering.

" Alright Bane, I want answers! Who put you up to this and why were you killing Red Hood's men? Red Hood's been gone for a while now but that doesn't mean that he is dead," Bruce said calmly as he squared up to Bane who merely smirked.

" I would never tell you Batman! So you can just go to hell!" he roared as he threw multiple punches at Bruce who dodged them but was unable to dodge Bane's kick which sent him crashing into the wall.

Bane charged like a bull towards the groggy vigilante who rolled out of the way before throwing a few smoke bombs in his direction.

Bane coughed and tried to clear the smoke which was hampering his vision but Bruce pounced on his back and surprised him with a headlock and chokehold.

Bane growled and tried to grab the dark knight's arms but Bruce quickly hopped off his back after placing a shock pad on the tube connected to the back of his mask. Bane quickly picked up the dumpster and hurled it towards the caped crusader who rolled to the side and sent Bane staggering with a kick to the gut.

As Batman tried to knock him out with another kick, Bane caught his leg in mid-air and flung him against the wall. Bruce slumped to the ground after the force of the impact took its toll on his vision and stability.

" Batman, as much as I would love to continue toying around with you but my boss is expecting me elsewhere and I would just hate to disappoint him," Bane grinned as he lifted an ice-cream truck with ease and dangled it precariously over Bruce's slumped form.

" Well then, I think that you should call him to tell him that you will be late," Bruce replied dryly as he pressed a button on his bat suit which activated the shock pad behind Bane's neck and sending thousands of volts of electricity through his venom flow system- severing the connection and halting the supply of venom to his body.

Bane dropped the truck as the feeling of pain slowly segued into one of ecstasy as the electricity coursed through his body, slowly numbing his nervous system and making him feel light headed. Bane swayed slightly before falling to the ground unconscious with a heavy thud.

Bruce slowly picked himself up and started to search through Bane's pockets to find any sort of communication device. He finally fished out an old-looking mobile phone.

Bruce scrolled through the messages which were nothing more than instructions or a few codenames strung together as a sentence. However, the last message which had been sent about an hour ago was plain clear and simple.

" _Report to the West Gotham cargo port once you've taken care of Team Alpha at the East Side. Do not be late."_

Bruce narrowed his eyes and realized that the sender's number was private but that did not deter him as he proceeded to contact Alfred.

" Master Bruce, I'll assume that you're not coming home for supper?" Alfred asked Bruce who just sighed.

" I'm sorry but I'll have to take a rain check on that supper, Alfred. Anyway, Alfred, I ran into Bane taking out some of Jason's henchman just now and I managed to obtain his mobile phone after subduing him. He's probably taking orders from someone else because whoever it is, it seems that he doesn't want us to find him."

" Oh my, Master Jason will be very upset to hear about that but I thought that he had disappeared after that arson incident?" Alfred replied.

" I was on my way to interrogate Zatanna's new roommate and hopefully find Jason's whereabouts but I guess that it would have to wait for now. Right now, we have bigger problems to worry about. I'm going to send you the GPS coordinates of Bane's phone and I need someone to bypass the firewall guarding his documents and contact numbers."

" Someone as in me, Master Bruce?" Alfred chuckled as Bruce couldn't help but give a small smile.

" Yes, Alfred. Tell me when you find something because I'm heading to West Gotham to find some more answers," Bruce continued before ending the call. He tied Bane up with some loose cables before speeding off to West Gotham in the batmobile.

Jason was about to doze off to sleep when he heard some loud rapping on Cheshire's front door. He quietly picked up a kitchen knife and crept to the door placing his back against the door and tightening his grip on the knife.

" What do you want? We don't want any visitors!" Jason hissed through the door but the rapping persisted and he began to feel annoyed.

" I'm here to see Naruto Uzumaki! Please open the door, you asshole," came an angry reply as Jason still refused to let her inside the apartment.

" I'm sorry but I think that you've got the wrong apartment. There is nobody by the name of Naruto staying here," Jason lied as Zatanna's vein in her forehead began to throb as she prepared to blast the door open.

" Jason, I didn't expect you to be still up at this hour. It's two in the morning and what the hell do you think you're doing with that kitchen knife?" Naruto raised an eyebrow as he leaned against the doorframe of his bedroom.

" There is an intruder outside the front door trying to break in by claiming that she was looking for you. I was just going to dispose of her quickly until you woke up," Jason retorted as Naruto looked pleasantly surprised and pushed the crime lord aside.

" Don't you fucking push me around like I'm some lackey. We've got an alliance, you got it?" Jason growled but Naruto just shot him a lazy look.

" That's no way to talk to your team leader, Red Hood. Don't push your luck or you'll be swimming with the sharks very soon."

Naruto slowly opened the door and he was stunned as he found Zatanna looking worried outside the apartment. " Zatanna? But…how?"

Zatanna just gave him a weary look and followed him inside. She sent a death glare towards Jason who just ignored her and went back to the kitchen to put back the knife.

" Zatanna! You shouldn't even be here and why did you track me down?" Naruto groaned as he pulled her into a hug as she just buried her face into his neck.

" Naruto, Batman knows that you're here and he's on his way now to interrogate you but more importantly….," she paused as she slapped the blonde mercenary's face so hard that the sound echoed through the living room.

" How could you lie to me about everything and make friends with a bunch of low life criminals!" she raged as Cheshire merely whistled in amusement and sauntered over to Jason who was enjoying the sight of his team leader being scolded.

" Zatanna, it's a very long story but I should have told you from the start that the reason why I wanted to follow you back to Gotham was to form a team strong enough to exact my revenge on Sasuke. I would have wanted another member but it looks as if I've overstayed my welcome," he said slowly but Zatanna took him by the scruff of his shirt and glared at him.

" I wouldn't have been so kind to offer you a trip back to Gotham if I had known that you were recruiting Red Hood and Cheshire to carry out your dark schemes! You do realize that Batman will skin me alive if he found out that I was the cause of this whole fiasco by brining you back to Gotham. I can't let you take back these two back to your world and more accurately, I am not sending them along with you back to Konoha!" she growled as she finally released her grip on his shirt.

" You're all going back to prison once I'm sending Naruto back to his world! Even if I don't I can communicate Batman or request the league for backup and I don't think that you would want Superman and the rest of us chasing after you, right?" Zatanna threatened as Jade merely scoffed at her threats.

" Don't underestimate me, you little tramp. You'll be dead before you even reach for your mobile phone," Jade smirked as Zatanna took up a fighting stance.

" Enough! The both of you! Jade, shut the fuck up and don't you dare harm a single hair on her. Zatanna, I really need your help one more time…..If you don't help me out here, all those years training and all this time spent here would be in vain! I have no right to ask of you this but as a friend, will you help me one more time? If you do, I promise that I'll disappear from your life after that," Naruto explained as the enchantress just shook her head.

" You know I can't do that, Naruto. I'm a superhero and if I did help a bunch of criminals, it goes against everything I stand for and I'll probably be stripped of my League and superhero status. I'm sorry but I can't fulfill your request," she replied strongly as Naruto nodded solemnly before heaving a sigh.

" Zatanna, I understand but do you know any other sorceress'?" Naruto shot her a knowing look as Zatanna's eyes grew wide.

" I know another powerful sorceress who goes by the name of Circe though. She likes to hang out at the Gotham Jazz Club down the road. Why?" she looked quizzically at him but he just smiled at her.

" Nothing much. I just wanted to know who else could pull an ostrich out of their hat or in my case, a mercenary," he chuckled before whispering thank you into Zatanna's ear.

Zatanna merely bit her lip as Naruto kissed her cheek much to his other two teammates' chagrin.

" Great…our leader is smitten with a member of the Justice League. Whoop dee doo…. I guess that he won't be the one dumping her anytime soon," Jason laughed dryly as Jade just chuckled in agreement.

" Either that or Naruto is playing on the poor girl's feelings.." she chimed in.

" Zatanna, I think that I left my equipment and costume in your apartment. Mind transporting it over here?" he laughed but Zatanna just looked sheepishly at him and told him about how she transported it to another dimension just when Bruce was about to check Naruto's room.

Naruto's face fell as he had to come to grips that everything he owned as Deathstroke was gone and he didn't even have his costume.

" This is really bad. That bulletproof costume was difficult to make and my arsenal of weapons were some of Slade's best. How am I supposed to do anything now if I can't even face my enemies without them knowing my secret identity?" he groaned.

" Naruto, I'm sorry but it was the only way….It doesn't matter anyway because Bruce is hell bent on finding and interrogating you for a confession. The problem is exacerbated because you just had to kidnap Red Hood and hide him here," Zatanna said.

Naruto frowned in annoyance as he rubbed his temple with his fingers. He didn't know how long it would take to make another costume and restock his weapons. His team couldn't move forward if their leader was handicapped.

" I'll deal with Batman if I have to but for now, I have other things to worry about, he continued grimly as he turned to his other two teammates.

" Naruto, Slade and I did business just before he got sent to your world and I don't think that he managed to test any of his new purchases but from what I heard, he was going through a major overhaul in preparation of executing his plan to eliminate the bat," Jason said as Naruto perked up immediately and threw him a hopeful glance.

" What's your point, Mr Hood? You don't know where is base of operations were and I'm pretty sure that its well hidden to avoid annoying visitors such as yourself," Jade smirked as Jason growled in response.

" Jade, save that kind of talk for later. Jason, if what you have said is true, then I'm guessing that I can restock and hopefully get a spare costume from his place. Could you lead us there?" Naruto asked him as Jason just flashed him a smirk.

" All my weapons are designed in such a way that they give off higher energy level readings compared to other firearms so that I can locate my stolen cargo easily since I have competitors who have the gall to sabotage my shipment at ports and factories. However, since you destroyed my energy reading tablet during our last encounter, we have to go all the way back to my office in East End if you want to locate Slade's place."

" I don't have a choice so we'll head there now to avoid the crowd during the day and before Batman shows up at our doorstep. So everyone, get prepared and let's head out," Naruto said as he proceeded to walk to his room to get his belongings.

" Wait! Naruto, what's going to happen after you've located Slade's base? Are you just going to wage an all-out attack on Gotham ? Please tell me because I've been worried sick about you because you're my responsibility and you owe me for fucking lying to me all this while," Zatanna raged again as she grabbed the blonde's hand before he could set foot into his room.

" I'll leave Gotham for a while to achieve my mission and I'll return with Cheshire and Jason once it's over. Then, I'll be out of your life for good and you'll never have to worry about me causing you any more trouble. I give you my word, Zatanna," Naruto whispered to her but she just gripped the back of his shirt and pulled him closer to her.

" How exactly are you going to return with those two criminals? You need a sorceress to open an inter-dimensional portal back to Gotham."

" That's why I need to ask a favour of you for one last time. Before you refuse, think about it. You get to apprehend the both of them at once and save Batman a lot of trouble and sleepless nights. You might even rise up the ranks in the Justice League for bringing in two of the most notorious assassins," Naruto continued but Zatanna merely pushed him away and glared at him.

" You really have a way of words, Naruto. Fine, I will help you but not because you asked me to but because those criminals belong behind bars in Gotham prison and not gallivanting with some second rate mercenary," she huffed as Naruto's face fell slightly with her tactless comments.

" Zatanna, I'm really sorry but…." but she just put up a hand to stop him and just shook her head.

" Whatever the reason is, I'm sure that it is as grand as your plot. Naruto, you and I might not be seeing each other for a very long time after tonight and I think that I'm about to lose a good friend," she said sadly as Naruto just walked up to her and stroked her cheek with the back of his hand.

" Just a good friend? I think that I'm going to lose something more important than that," he chuckled as he turned back and went inside his room while Zatanna just looked thoughtfully at him.

" Something more important? No….he's just screwing around with me again….. In any case, I'll have to pretend that he wasn't at home when I visited Cheshire's apartment in case Bruce decides to ask me," she thought to herself as she left the apartment.

" Is everyone ready? If you are, then let's head on out," Naruto called out to his teammates who were already waiting for him at the front door.

" What took you so long, captain? Making out with your girlfriend?" Jade grinned as Naruto just pushed past her and walked ahead towards Cheshire's car. " I hope your driving isn't as bad as your sense of humour, Cheshire," Naruto replied dryly as he hopped into the front passenger seat of the car while Jason sat at the back.

The moon under siege by stars seemed to lighten the night bringing forth stars that shone and hung in the blackness. The never ending blackness consumed everything. Except the stars which stood out like pebbles in front of a storm. Ever enduring these shone with the night cowered in an inky black sky. The car ride was filled with silence as Jason was already half asleep while Naruto felt his eyes getting heavier with each passing second.

" Naruto, you shouldn't be dating a superhero if you're working with us because it's likely that her teammates will find out and they could play on your emotions to lure you into their trap," Jade said quietly, breaking the silence which hung in the air.

" I'm not dating her and there is nothing going on between us. She is just a good friend of mine who happened to save me," Naruto mumbled as Jade still looked unconvinced.

" What's with all that heavy flirting and the sneaky smooches behind our backs? Don't try to bullshit your way out of this one because I can clearly see that both of you are smitten with each other. Yuck, no offence but she dresses like a whore and you can do so much better than her," Jade said offhandedly.

Every word stung only fuelling the fire that burned inside of me. Every violated phrase was like gasoline to it, my fists began to clench and my jaw rooted.

" Jade, take that last sentence back or else I'm going to throw you out of this car and onto the highway where a trailer can just flatten you," Naruto growled in a low and threatening voice, laced with danger, venom and contempt.

Jade was stunned at the reaction she got from her captain because she had never seen him get so angry before. The look that he was giving her was even enough to make her quake in her boots and mind you that she wasn't easily frightened.

" Zatanna means a lot to me and she is a great woman. If you dare insult or pull a stunt like that again, I will cut your tongue out. Do I make myself clear, Jade Nguyen?!" Naruto growled once more as Jade felt her skin crawl in fear.

" Of course, Naruto. I apologize for being so insensitive," Jade grumbled as the air was filled with new found tension between the two assassins. The tension in the air was palpable and even Jason knew that something happened while he was asleep but he just decided to let Naruto sort it out.

" We're finally here, guys. Jason, could you lead me to your office?" Jade asked the crime lord who nodded and began directing her through the streets.

The black Jaguar finally came to a juddering halt outside a dilapidated building which oversaw the Gotham River.

" I'll rush in and grab the tracking sensor while you guys wait in the car and look out for hostiles. This place is infested with thugs," Jason said as he climbed out of the car and ran into his office.

Naruto still refused to talk to Jade as he was still angry about her comments regarding Zatanna. Jade on the other hand was feeling slightly guilty because she had been on the receiving end of more scathing remarks and verbal insults. She killed anyone who mouthed off against her but this was different. She considered Naruto a friend of some sorts and she didn't like making her friends upset.

" Naruto, don't take my comments about Zatanna too seriously because that's how I address most female superheroes who don't wear long and baggy capes. Even though I don't like her but I'm sure that she has something special for you to have fallen for her," Jade sighed as Naruto gave a small smile even though this was about as close to an apology he was going to get from Cheshire.

" Apology accepted, Jade and you're right, she has something about her that I love," Naruto shrugged but his face soon began to grow red as a tomato once he realized his Freudian slip .

" Did you just say love? The great Deathstroke the terminator is in love with the innocent showgirl! Wait till the press hear about this," Jade grinned as Naruto quickly folded his arms and averted his sheepish gaze away from her smirking visage.

" I'm back with the sensor and I've managed to locate Slade's base based on the energy levels that I'm picking up," Jason said as he climbed back into the car.

" Wait….I'm sure that there are many areas in the city which house your weapons so how do you know that its Slade's?" Jade challenged him as Jason looked aggravated at her.

" Slade was the only one who purchased a large quantity of volatile promethium, the more dangerous and hazardous variation of promethium. The energy readings for volatile promethium is usually one of the highest and so far, there is only one area which shows up with positive results," Jason explained while pointing to the giant red and yellow circle.

" Where is this area?" Naruto asked him.

" It's an abandoned military school in West Gotham. No surprise there seeing how Slade was an avid fan of the military," Jason said as Jade began to start the engine again.

" I hope that this is the last stop because I'm feeling rather sleepy," the blonde mercenary said as he stifled a yawn. Before he knew it, he fell asleep once Cheshire entered the highway.

" Naruto, wake the hell up! We have already reached the school," Jason hissed in disgust as he jabbed a finger in his side which jolted the young man from his sleep.

" Jason, you asshole. Couldn't you have woken me up in a better way?" Naruto glared as he rubbed his eyes and made his way out of the car.

The night sky stood an inky canopy of darkness freckled only by the fewest of stars, where just hours ago it had been a blue summer's day. The occasional hoot of a hidden owl was the only sound to permeate the silence until a chorus of slapping footsteps and crunching gravel echoed angrily into the emptiness of the night. As voices quickly followed the owl omitted a screech of protest and took flight.

Jason led the two mercenaries towards the weapon storage room where he blasted the lock open with his pistol and flung the door wide open.

All three of their jaws dropped in amazement as the room revealed to be a big research lab filled with lots of weapons, spare parts, blue prints and folders chock full of documents. A mug full of stale coffee and a plate of mouldy bread lay untouched on the working table while empty magazines and bullet shells were scattered across the marble floor.

" Slade must have been really busy before this. Look at all the stuff he collected," Jade whistled as she picked up an AK-47 and inspected its barrel.

" Naruto,get your ass over here. I found something that you might like," Jason said as Naruto rushed to the Red masked man who was standing in front of Slade's latest costume.

" Jason, this suit looks amazing! ( It's the Deathstroke suit from the Arkham Origins Universe ) This suit is layered with more promethium than my last one plus it's surprisingly light for supposedly bulky body armour," Naruto said as he ran his fingers from the half black half orange mask down to the breast plate of the black body armour.

He proceeded to pick up Slade's old Promethium sword, dual pistols and ballistic staff while delving into his collection of explosives.

" I guess I should suit up since I'm the only one who isn't in costume," Naruto said as he proceeded to wear the body armour and signature mask. He placed his sword on his back, slung his staff across his chest and attached his dual pistols to the side of his suit. Last but not least, he armed himself with an array of grenades and explosives.

" Someone is looking rather dashing again," Jade purred from the back as she sauntered towards the two men.

Jason suddenly pulled out his Desert Eagle.50 AE and unloaded his entire magazine on Naruto much to Jade's shock but Naruto looked pleasantly surprised as the bullets ricocheted off his armour without a single perforation.

" Just as I thought, the whole amour is reinforced with a high proportion of Kevlar and mesh to withstand ballistics fired with a high velocity and greater force. No wonder my Desert Eagle couldn't even make a dent on it. Slade must have spent ages working on it," Jason said looking impressed.

" I'd expect nothing less from the original Deathstroke. He was a brilliant mercenary and weapons expert and I'm going to honour him by using this suit to its full potential!" Naruto declared.

" So now that we've got what we came here for, where do we head now?" Cheshire asked Naruto who reloaded his pistols and dropped the empty magazines.

" If you're hoping for an answer that has the word sleep in it, you're sorely mistaken because he's got something planned," Red Hood snorted.

" Forget about sleep for tonight because I think that it's time we paid a visit to the Gotham Jazz Club to meet a certain someone who could help us get back to my world," Deathstroke chuckled as Jason and Jade exchanged glances with each other.

" Is it Zatanna?"

" It better not be…."

Naruto just put up his gloved hand to silence the both of them before breaking into a devilish smirk.

" Cheshire, mind taking us back to North Gotham? We're looking for a woman that goes by the name of Circe."

**A/N : Hi guys, first and foremost, I wish you a Happy New Year and I'm so sorry for the late update. I've been on vacation for about a month and just came back. This is the longest chapter that I have written so far for the story and I can say that it is the build up to the climax of the story. I hope you enjoy the story and please leave reviews, feedback or even PM me if you have any ideas or queries. See you soon!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

" The Gotham Jazz club eh? Looks like a place that the Penguin would approve of-with the big illuminated sign and the sleazy looking bouncers. Just who are we looking for again?" Jason grumbled.

" A woman that goes by the name of Circe. She is a lounge singer in this club on weekends but make no mistake about her. She has a reputation of turning people into animals just for the thrill of it and she is as cunning as they get so try not to listen to her too much," Naruto told them as they strolled towards the entrance of the club.

" If what you're saying is true, then how the hell are we going to persuade her to aid us in our little quest for redemption?" Jade chuckled as she sauntered in between the two men, linking each arm with theirs.

" Get your hands off me, you little tramp or I will personally get them off myself," Jason growled as Naruto shot him another angry look.

" Jason, for fuck sakes, we are trying to be incognito tonight. The plan is to masquerade as Jade's escorts so that we would be able to enter the club without causing a scene. We don't want either Batman or the entire Gotham PD to come barreling in before we even complete our mission. So act as if you're her date for the evening! Is that so difficult?" Naruto hissed in irritation much to the raven haired beauty's amusement and the former Robin's chagrin.

" That's right, Jason. You should be thankful that I'm making your job so much easier than it could have been. You could have been forced to play Mr and Mrs. Smith with some ugly whore who won't give you time of the day and probably, would lower your self esteem," she purred.

" Good thing that there was a tuxedo rental agency near the military school or else we wouldn't have been able to enter tonight," Naruto nodded as he adjusted his navy blue tie and flashed the bouncer his fake ID.

The room was dimly lit by a few spotlights which were clustered right above the centre of the stage. As expected, it was filled with mostly elderly men dressed in their evening regalia while discussing about the best brand of cigars or how they failed to profit from the purchase of real estate. Most of the men were staring at Jade and whispering among themselves as we walked passed them en route to our table.

" Excuse me madam, would you care to join my colleagues and I for a drink by the bar? Your choice of drink will be on me," a man in his late forties grinned at the dark haired assassin who smirked at Naruto before declining the offer.

" I'm sorry but my boss doesn't allow me to have a drink with any other man. It's just his possessive side coming out to play tonight," Jade said innocently as Naruto sighed and waved the man away.

" Go back to your table and don't disturb us again if you know what's good for you and believe me, whatever threats you hurl at me won't scare me on bit," the blonde mercenary sent a warning glance at the helpless suitor who started sweating and quickly rejoined his group of friends.

" That old geezer needed to be shot down. He actually has the gall to stroll up to us and hit on our slutty looking teammate. Not that I'm worried about you, Jade…but rather his state of mind," Jason said dryly and took a sip of his gin.

" And here I was going to compliment you on how presentable you look tonight…You're a failure when it comes to talking to women," Jade sniffed contemptuously before taking a sip of her dry rice wine.

" Ladies and gentleman, back by popular demand and on weekends, we would like to present to you- the sexy siren of the Gotham Jazz Club, the one and only, Circe!" the PA system boomed as a cacophonous mixture of claps, whistles and cheers gave Jason a head ache.

" Naruto, do we confront her now?" Jade asked the blonde who shook his head and stole a glance from his watch.

" Not yet. We don't want to attract any attention so we will wait until she takes her first break. Jason, in case of trouble, I want you to secure the lounge and make sure its in lockdown. Not a single person is to leave and call for help. Confiscate their mobile phones if you have to," Naruto said quietly.

" Jade, you and I will be dealing with Circe. The most important thing to remember is to never get caught in one of her spells. According to Zatanna, the effects may be non reversible, so try not to get turned into an animal," he continued and patiently waited for the curtains on stage to be drawn.

" That is one sexy looking sorceress," Jason whistled as Naruto looked up from his drink. His eyes widened at the sight that awaited him.

Her curvaceous figure sat well on her wafer-thin body. She had a decanter shaped waist and her complexion had an impeccable, ochrous hue. Her pencil- thin eyebrows eased down gently to her black, beetle's leg eyelashes. Filed to perfection, her Venus- red fingernails ran through her nougat-brown hair. Eden-green eyes which were a sparkle with the 'joie de vivre' met Naruto's azure orbs. She greeted the crowd in a dulcet voice as sweet as any songbird.

" She must be the author of the book- 101 ways to be a skank," Jade grinned at Naruto who snapped out of his trance and cleared his throat.

" Skank or not, we still need her help and I just hope she doesn't do the whole an eye for an eye routine. Women like her probably want to get laid in exchange, based on my previous espionage missions. And if that happens, Jason is going to be the lucky guy because…..I have hygiene issues," Naruto lied as Jade just flicked a peanut at his face and laughed.

Circe had almost every man eating out of her palm as she sauntered off the stage and approached all the tables in front of the stage while delivering her hauntingly beautiful ballad. Men were clamouring to touch her but she merely gave them a small wink before moving to the next eager table. This continued for about a half hour before she announced that she would be taking a half hour long intermission.

Jason loaded his pistol and slipped it in his blazer before heading to the main control room. Naruto signaled to Jade and the both of them slipped off to the backstage while eluding security personnel.

They saw Circe reapplying her lip-gloss while humming another one of her performed songs.

" Circe, we enjoyed your performance so far, so we decided to come and let you know good you were," Naruto said casually and walked up to her alongside Jade.

Circe couldn't help but feel proud but that feeling soon turned into suspicion as she dropped her lip gloss and placed her hands on her hips.

" As much as I appreciate that, how on Earth did you get past security? No one is allowed backstage unless it's me or the technicians…."

Jade just shrugged and eyed her carefully. "They were busy having their dinner so we took the opportunity to come and see you".

Circe shook her head and went to call the security guards. " Those useless idiots! Having their dinner when they are paid to make sure that none of these perverts manage to get their filthy hands on me," she grumbled and stomped to the exit.

" But I'm sure that you can just send them away or perhaps turn them into harmless mice, am I right?" Naruto stepped forward and smirked as the brunette sorceress froze in her tracks and suddenly sent a blast of energy hurtling towards the duo.

" Justice League!" Circe hissed in disgust and sent a few crates crashing into them.

" Circe! We are not with the Justice League! We are Zatanna's friends!" Naruto growled and dodged another incoming crate. Circe ceased her attacks and narrowed her eyes.

" That joke of a sorceress? Okay then. State your purpose and if I like your answer, I might just let you escape with half a human body. Does she need a favour from me?" Circe glared at Naruto who shook his head.

" No. I want a favour from you because Zatanna isn't capable of carrying out sorcery as impeccable as you can. That being said, I would like to make a preposition for you."

" Your girlfriend is going to be so pissed when she finds out you publicly admitted that she is a second-rate sorceress, " Jade chuckled as Circe's stunned face told it all.

" Hold on…..you and that witch…Dating!? Tell me lover-boy, did she cast a spell on you?" Circe looked sympathetically at Naruto who gave Jade an irritated look before clenching his fists.

" Enough of this dawdling! Look, I need you to open up an inter-dimensional portal for us to return to my world tonight and in exchange…I'll give you anything you want within boundaries.. So name your price," Naruto said boldly as Circe looked amused at the mercenary before running a ruby-red fingernail down the stripes of his crisp oxford shirt.

Naruto didn't say anything and maintained a hardened look at Circe before she sniffed and tossed her hair.

" Who are you anyway? I haven't seen your face around Gotham and I'm assuming that you're a superhero anyway. The cute ones are always on the side of the law," she sighed dramatically.

" I'm a mercenary and that's all you need to know. You will ask no further questions regarding my mission and just keep your end of the bargain, sorceress. I came here because I was hoping I could strike a deal with you."

" Fine, at least you're smart enough to know that nothing comes for free. Since this is a big request…..you'll have to sacrifice something big for me too," she purred earning a snort from Jade.

Naruto shrugged and folded his arms. " I don't really mind so just hurry up and spit it out. I'm wasting precious time playing your little games."

Circe just clicked her tongue and sat down on her chair. " Well handsome, I want something from that means a lot to you- something that you have never given up or shown to any other mortal before. Something that makes you lose a part of yourself…."

" You want his dignity or do you prefer his deepest darkest secrets? Naruto, this woman is going to double cross you," Jade muttered to Naruto who looked at the ground before stopping Jade.

" Be more specific please if my teammate managed to scratch the surface of what you're hinting at. I'm fine with you taking those things away form me because the only feelings I have now are regret and pent up anger," he said seriously.

Circe just draped herself over him and nipped his ear, sending shivers down his spine as Jade drew her dagger and pointed it at Circe.

" I want you to sing a duet with me!" Circe beamed and smacked him lightly on the shoulder. Both Naruto and Jade were catatonically rooted to their respective spots and at one point, the former ninja's jaw slowly sunk further down, leaving just enough space for the entrance of a fly.

" Wait, you're joking right? You want Naruto to sing a duet with you? That hardly seems like anything valuable," Jade burst out laughing as Naruto turned purple and aimed his pistol at Circe.

" I'm getting tired of your games Circe…." Naruto growled as Circe started to feel agitated with his harsh tone of voice.

" I am telling the truth you stick in the mud. There is nothing more satisfying than seeing a man sacrifice his pride and dignity in order to achieve a goal. Personally, I love hearing the sound of a man sing about the one he loves- the raw and soulful passion makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Do you know, I struck the same deal with Batman? I made him sing a blues song in exchange for turning his lover back into a human," Circie giggled mischievously much to the surprise of Naruto.

" In that case, I'll sing a duet with you.. but after that, you'll keep your end of the bargain or I will put a bullet through your chest," Naruto warned her as Circe just waved her hand dismissively at Jade.

" We need to prepare for our duet so you can just buzz off back to the table, " Circe sniffed and dragged Naruto away.

" Jade, call Jason and ask him to meet you back at our table. I guess we won't be needing him to be stationed in the control room," Naruto nodded as Jade took one last look at Circe before shrugging.

" You got it, boss. Just make sure that this old hag doesn't unbutton your slacks while rehearsing," she said acidly before disappearing back to the table.

Naruto's eyes scanned through the lyrics of the song which had rather sappy lyrics to say the least. The only time that he ever sings is in the shower and he was pretty sure that he would be pelted with rotten fruits once he opened his mouth.

" No fucking way….I have to record this and hopefully, use this little bit of incriminating evidence to blackmail him whenever I need a favour from him," Jason laughed and prepared his mobile phone.

Soon enough, the lilac curtains were raised and Circe emerged from the shadows with Naruto who felt the embarrassment shake right down to his core. Buzzing and muttering could be heard among the patrons and the disharmony in the lounge was palpable.

" Ladies and gentleman, tonight, I'm going to be singing a duet with a friend of mine who promises to put on a performance for us. This goes out to all the couples in the building and to the single people who have trouble finding love," she winked before signaling to the band to start playing.

Naruto felt the heat rise to his cheeks as his eyes swept across the room and found his two team members giving him the thumbs up.

The once hostile crowd began to loosen up and enjoy themselves as the two of them delivered a soulful rendition of Try A Little Tenderness. Jason and Jade began laughing and joking about Naruto's singing as they held a toast and downed their respective drinks.

" Naruto isn't half bad on the microphone. I was expecting a deafening delivery ala Black Canary style," Jason chuckled.

" Looks like that bitch was right after all…Naruto seems to be pouring lots of emotion into his singing. I guess even the craziest people need an outlet to vent their frustrations even if it is in front of a group of rich and pretentious idiots," Jade replied.

Jason nudged Jade and pointed to the manager of the club whispering orders to the bouncers who stole a glance at Naruto before nodding and disappearing backstage.

" Jade, let's stick to the plan because I have a feeling that things are going to get a little bit dicey. Head backstage and take out those bouncers while I secure the control room. You heard Naruto….No one enters or leaves the building."

Jade quickly disappeared backstage and silently subdued the guards with a few quick moves. Jason cautiously crept to the control room but he felt the cold barrel of the pistol against the back of his head. He paused and remained silent.

" This place is off limits to non-club personnel! Explain why you're creeping around here like some kind of spy before I put a bullet in your head," the guard said gruffly as Jason calmly kicked the man's groin with the heel of his shoe which earned him a loud groan.

" You son of a bitch….." the guard grit his teeth in pain and struggled to pick up his pistol from the floor.

Jason kicked the pistol away from the man and sent a barrage of punches to the man's midsection before knocking him out flat with an uppercut. The guard crumpled to the floor in a heap as Jason heard the sound of gunfire ring through the air.

" Jade, you little bitch…." Jason sighed as he kicked open the door of the control room and drew his silver glock.

" Hey, you're not allowed….."

Jason just shot the two guards point blank in the forehead before dumping their bodies to one side. He proceeded to overwrite the system's firewall and placed the jazz lounge under lockdown.

Piercing shrieks and screams could be heard as the steel shutters rapidly descended from the four corners of the building, trapping the patrons in a metallic cube which was isolated from the watching eyes of the Gotham citizens.

Jason quickly dashed back to the lounge where he witnessed Cheshire weaving in and out and slicing the armed guards into ribbons. " Its about time you showed up, Red Hood. You missed Naruto's high note at the end," she laughed and slit another guard's throat.

" Jade! Jason! Get over here!" Naruto yelled out to them and shot another guard dead with his pistol.

He ushered them backstage and grabbed his belongings.

" Alright Circe, I fulfilled my end of the bargain so its time you did the same."

Circe smiled at Naruto before uttering a chant of magic words and opening an inter- dimensional portal.

" You better make sure that this is Konoha," Naruto frowned as Circe look slighted at him. " Oh believe me, Blondie…I can transport you to any part of the world as long as you provide me with an item from the place," the brunette conjurer huffed.

" When you come back, feel free to join me for another duet if you feel like it. You know where to find me," she purred as Naruto turned red before jumping into the portal along with Jason and Jade.

**In the outskirts of Konoha…**

" Fuck…my head hurts," Jason mumbled as he slowly opened his eyes and sat up. He looked at the lush greenery surrounding them and closed his eyes as the cool breeze kissed his cheeks.

" This reminds me of the forests in Vietnam. When I used to go jungle trekking, my sister and I would use to lie beneath the stars and just admire the constellations," Jade gave a small smile as Naruto stood up and gazed at the bright lights of Konoha below them.

" Yeah, I used to come here quite often with my old teacher, Jiraiya. This open field was the place where I used to spend countless of hours each day perfecting my signature move, the Rasengan," Naruto smiled as nostalgia began to take over his mind.

Jade got up and offered him a bottle of juice.

" It's getting late, captain. Why don't we call it a night and just spend the talking…." Her voice trailed off as Jason raised an eyebrow at the olive-skinned mercenary.

" You're a very interesting man, Naruto. I would like to hear about your experience with this Jiraiya that you spoke of. And you…" she pointed a finger to the crime lord.

" Sometimes a girl misses having these heart to heart conversations with her friends. It's nothing special you know?"

Naruto just broke into a grateful smile and set down his bag of weapons before breaking out his sleeping bag.

" You're absolutely right. One of the things that I miss most about leaving my village is my friends whom I considered to be like family to me. The day that I ran away from my village was also the day I severed our once unbreakable bonds. I killed a dear friend of mine, massacred the village's ANBU soldiers, wounded my own sensei and disappointed my Hokage. You may not feel it but there are times where I just want to burst out rattle on about absolute nonsense to you guys but that's not the luxury of being a team leader. Right now, I'm just glad that we all can be civil to each other even though we might just be business associates," Naruto smiled at them as Jason couldn't help but crack the tiniest of smiles.

" I feel the same way about Dick Grayson, Barbara and Tim. They will always be family to me even though they might hate me for trying to kill the big bat and returning to life as a criminal," Jason shrugged to Jade.

" You think that's bad? Try being forced to leave your husband and daughter when the world's deadliest archer wants your head on a silver platter," she snorted and took another sip of her juice.

" We have all had our fair shares of problems in the past but from now on, we need to trust each other to ensure the success of our mission. We are dealing with deadly assassins with strange powers here," Naruto told them as the other two members just rolled their eyes in unison.

" Get some rest because tomorrow, we will be starting work at 0600 hours sharp! A minute later and you might find yourself with no breakfast," Naruto joked as he settled himself inside his own sleeping bag.

" Jason?" Jade looked at the raven haired vigilante who was half asleep.

" What the hell do you want? I'm trying to get some sleep here," a muffled voice was heard.

" Nothing, you prick. Just wanted to say that I'm glad to have you aboard on this team," she shrugged and turned over. Jason felt his mouth went dry and he was about to hurl another subtle jab but he paused and sighed.

" Yeah, same here. Just don't try anything funny on me when I'm asleep or I'll kill you."

Naruto watched his team drift off to sleep as he quietly got up and too another look at the village below him.

" Kakashi-sensei….Iruka-sensei….Tsunade….you hurt me so much and yet, I still see you as my family. Why did you send me away?" he tried to hold back his tears as he clenched his fists and exhaled silently.

"Sasuke killed Sakura! He framed me and you didn't even bother to look into the matter. Kaka-sensei, you were there and you lied to Tsunade. How could you? You were the one who asked me to wait because you didn't think Sasuke would really do it! And where were you Hinata? For someone who claims to love me, you never even bothered to vouch for me with Neji. Sasuke, you bastard….what did you get out of killing my fiancée? Another one of your sick whims I suppose but no matter. I'm back here now and I'm not going to stop till I have your head," Naruto whispered quietly before walking a little further down to a nearby stream.

" This stream hasn't changed one bit," Naruto mused and took a drink out of it as he recalled his last visit five years ago

_Flashback…._

Jiraiya filled up a water balloon from using the water from the stream and handed the small red sphere to Naruto who looked at it in surprise.

" Pervy sage, this is a water balloon…You said that you would teach me how to master the Rasengan!" Naruto looked in dismay at the balloon which jiggled and shook as he tossed it into the air.

" Naruto, this is the first step in learning this technique. I want you to concentrate all your chakra and focus it into spinning the water inside in multiple directions at once in order to break the balloon. The key to mastering this exercise is for you to know your chakra's natural rotation. Here, let me show you once," Jiraiya grinned at the whiskered shinobi an brought out another water balloon.

The legendary Sannin quickly concentrated his chakra and diverted it into multiple directions from a single motion using his fingers and in the blink of an eye, the water balloon burst quickly. Naruto's eyes widened and he grinned at his own water balloon.

" That doesn't look too hard. Don't worry pervy sage, I'll ace this exercise in one go and we can hurry up and proceed to the next step," Naruto said excitedly earning him an amused chuckle from Jiraiya.

" You sure about that Naruto? I hope you can finish it before lunch because I'm starving," he declared and sat down in front of him.

" Just watch and you'll see!" Naruto declared and began concentrating his chakra onto the balloon. An hour passed but his efforts were futile. The balloon remained in pristine condition and Jiraiya had already left to bring back lunch for him. Naruto flopped down to the ground glared at the balloon.

" Why can't you just burst? I've been at this same stage for hours," Naruto wiped his sweat as Jiraiya made his way back to him with a cup Ramen in his hand and a bottle of green tea in the other.

He just set the food down for Naruto and smiled at him.

" Come on Naruto, I know you can do it so don't give up. Try using a little creativity and feeling. If you succeed by tomorrow, I'll treat you to Ramen at Ichiraku's," Jiraiya chuckled which caused Naruto to salivate and lose focus on his chakra spinning.

" With extra barbequed pork and eggs?" Naruto looked hopefully at his teacher who just sighed and nodded.

" You're going to eat me out of house and home if I wait for you to list out all of your extra toppings he laughed heartily

_Flashback end….._

" Pervy sage, if only you were still alive when that incident happened. You wouldn't have just let me leave like that. I should get some sleep he yawned and prepared to head back to the camp site when he saw the gates of Konoha staring right in front of him.

Naruto slowly walked up to the gates and ran his fingers over the insignia painted on the middle of the gates. It's been too long, Konoha…..

" Yes it has been too long, Naruto or should I say, Deathstroke," came a quiet voice from behind him. Naruto froze and slowly spun around to see the lone figure of Sai.

" Sai, how have you been? And how did you now I was here?" Naruto demanded as Sai calmly whipped out his brush and his scroll.

" I was on my way back from a mission in the Hidden Mist Village when I decided to stop by the outskirts to catch my breath. You are under the arrest by the order of the Hokage," Sai said coldly and drew his kunai as Naruto cursed and drew his dagger in retaliation.

Sparks flew as metal met steel head on. " Sai, you bastard, will you just stop and hear me out!"

" I don't think that there is any need for such explanations," Sai replied and made a gash on Naruto's cheek. The blonde cursed and blocked another swing by Sai only to be met with a kick to the gut that sent him staggering back.

" Just like old times, huh?" Naruto thought to himself.

" Sparring and beating each other up in front of Kaka-sensei and Sakura. The only difference is that Sai is fighting with more aggression."

Sai sent a flurry of kicks before throwing a smoke bomb in Naruto's direction. Naruto coughed and tried to move out of the smoke cloud that engulfed him but it was too late as two quick jabs to his jaw saw him stagger once more. Naruto wiped the trickle of blood that was flowing from the corner of his lip and shook his head.

" If you're not going to listen to me, I have no choice but to take you down, Sai. You are a fool to be blinded by the story that the Hokage has been spinning. She is a dirty liar!" Naruto snarled and assumed his fighting stance.

" Show some respect to the Hokage, traitor," Sai replied coldly and charged towards Naruto but the blonde mercenary was through playing games with his old friend. Naruto swiftly sidestepped Sai's incoming punch and sent a bone-cracking punch up his stomach which elicited a gag from him and heavy panting. Sai tried to regain his composure again and aimed another kick to Naruto's head but to no avail as the ex-shinobi caught his leg in mid-air and sent him smacking against the tree with another powerful punch to his face.

Sai lay motionless on the ground for a few minutes as Naruto slowly walked towards him and kicked the motionless body in the side.

" You don't know who you're dealing with, Sai. You're pathetic and a waste of my time…you call yourself an ANBU when all it takes is two punches from me to dissolve you to a quivering mess? Get up now, I have something to ask of you," Naruto said coldly and gave the body another light kick.

Sai slowly opened his eyes and clutched his torso in pain but instead of a Konoha medic, he was greeted with a murderous glare from Naruto.

" Your single punch had so much force in it, it was like getting punched from three people at one go. Looks live you have gotten stronger," Sai breathed heavily as Naruto helped him up to his feet and propped him against the tree.

" I want answers, Sai. Where is Sasuke? I know that he has moved back into the village and I know that he probably went on a mission so start talking or I'll have too beat it out of you," he threatened calmly and folded his arms.

Sai remained silent and just stared back defiantly at Naruto who just sighed and sent him rolling to the floor again with a swift kick to the cheek.

" You will get nothing from me, Naruto! The whole village is aware of your heinous crimes and the Hokage deems you a perennial threat. Don't think that we have forgiven you for murdering Neji," Sai said weakly as Naruto just turned away.

" Shut up and just answer me. I didn't ask for your opinions or sympathy. I asked for Sasuke's whereabouts," he sighed and moved to grab Sai by the collar when the ink-based ninja summoned his energy and executed a substitution jutsu while reappearing behind Naruto.

" Ninja Art: Super Beast Scroll!" He proceeded to lay out a scroll on the ground and drew a group of tigers which leapt out of the paper and started racing towards Naruto who loaded his Desert Eagle pistol and obliterated every single ink beast that was present.

Sai was stunned as he did not know how Naruto could have destroyed them without moving from his spot. Naruto walked towards Sai with his pistol still in his hand and placed a bullet in his thigh when he tried to escape. A scream of pain was about to be released from his lips but Naruto clamped his hand over his mouth and pressed the barrel of the pistol to the side of his head.

" I can't have you screaming and giving away our location to the others so I'm giving you one last chance. Tell me everything you know about Sasuke before I blow your brains out," Naruto snarled as Sai started shaking with fear.

" Wood Style: Wooden Dragon Jutsu!" Yamato prepared the hand signs and erected a gargantuan wooden dragon which knocked Naruto away from Sai and started winding itself around him, squeezing the oxygen out from his lungs and crushing his bones.

" I was looking for Sai because he never made it back to the village and it was easy to sense his Chakra since he was just outside the village. Naruto, you're coming back with us to the village," Yamato said firmly and ordered the dragon to apply more pressure on Naruto's struggling body.

Naruto felt his mind become fuzzy as the lack of oxygen coupled with the unrelenting pressure on his body was taking its toll on him. "My healing factor doesn't take into account a lack of air," he thought and grunted as the dragon squeezed him again.

Suddenly, the wooden dragon burst into wood shavings as he saw Yamato roll down the hill and lie motionless on the ground. Sai's eyes widened and he scrambled for his brush when the sound of steel perforating his skin rang through the air. Naruto stretched his back and squinted to see the crouching figure of Jason holding his sniper with the silencer attached to the muzzle.

" Head shot. The first target has been silenced permanently while target two has been subdued with a clean shot through the chest. The distance between the bullet and the heart is approximately 10 millimeters," Jason radioed Naruto who paid his respect to his fallen former Vice-captain of team seven and turned back his attention to the barely conscience Sai.

" Sasu….Sasuke is back here," croaked Sai as his breathing became more erratic and laboured.

" Where? Who is he living with?"

" His wife…..daughter…..don't kill them," Sai gripped onto Naruto who just pushed him aside and signaled to Jason for the final blow.

His heightened hearing magnified the gentle whiz of the bullet which found its mark in the middle of Sai's forehead as the victim possessed a look of shock on his pale face just before his lifeless body hit the grassy surface with an audible thud.

" Good job with that sniper, Jason. I'll be heading to the village for a while to gather some more information on our target. I need you to dispose of the corpses before the Ninja dogs track their scents. Immolate their bodies if you have to but make sure to do it far away from the village," Naruto told Jason before changing into his Deathstroke attire.

Jason grumbled and dragged the bodies back to the camp site where Jade was preparing a bonfire. "One immolation coming right up," she nodded and tossed the bodies into the bonfire. The acrid smell of burning flesh wafted through the air but Jade remained unperturbed as she started sharpening her daggers.

" Lucky for us that the wind is blowing south tonight while the village is located due north. This awful smell won't even make it pass the gates if the strong winds keep this up," she assured Jason.

Naruto crept through the alleys and stayed in the shadows as he was determined to squeeze some more information out of someone who was more inclined to oblige him.

He scaled the roofs of many houses before doing a somersault and landing in the backyard of a familiar house. Deathstroke walked through the garden and checked the name on the mail box.

" The Umino household…? That name rings a faint bell" he thought to himself as he prepared to jump to the next house.

" Excuse me, but what are you doing in my house?"

Deathstroke turned around drew his Berettas but paused when he saw the yawning figure of Iruka by the door.

" One squeal from you and I will blow a hole through your skull. So I'm just going to leave in peace because I haven't been paid to kill you," Naruto said coldly and turned to leave once more but Iruka just gave a sad smile and scratched his head.

" Threatening your old academy teacher in his own garden? Naruto, has it really been just five years since we talked? It feels as if you've become a completely different individual since the last time we went out for lunch at Ichiraku's," he muttered as Naruto flinched and put back his Beretta's in their holsters.

" Iruka, don't bring up the past because that will get you nowhere. You disappointed me, sensei. You were like an older brother to me but where were you when I was being persecuted by your boss? I would have minded if you at least talked to me and tried to help me but I guess you're too much of a coward to say anything. Just like the rest of you scumbags. But, out of respect for our time in the academy, I would like to strike a deal with you. I'll pay you ten thousand Yen for information regarding Sasuke's current status."

Iruka's mouth went dry and he hung his head. " Naruto, why did you even come back? You know that if anyone finds out that you're here, every jonin and ANBU will be falling on you from every direction…." But Iruka was cut off by a laugh from the masked mercenary.

" Have you learnt nothing from our previous encounters? Send me battalion of your best warriors and I promise you that I will have their heads on a stick. So what is it going to be Iruka? Ten thousand Yen for information regarding Sasuke? That seems like daylight robbery to me."

Iruka frowned and backed away from Naruto.

" I'm sorry but if I did that, I would be endangering his family and I can't let you kill an innocent little girl," Iruka said solemnly and drew his kunai. Naruto calmly closed the gap between them until the sharpest tip of the kunai was touching the breast plate of his Kevlar armour.

" I have no business with his family. My only grudge is against Sasuke himself so I give you my word that I will not harm a single hair on his wife or daughter," Naruto said earnestly and placed a hand on Iruka's shoulder.

Iruka just looked skeptical at Naruto and he just closed his eyes and lowered his weapon. Sasuke resides in the house where the old Uchiha clan used to stay but he rarely comes home from missions. Although, he has informed us that he will be back tomorrow to restock his supplies," Iruka said quietly and Naruto nodded.

" You don't need to pay me anything, Naruto…..It's the least I can do to atone for my actions," he sighed.

" Well, at least you convinced me to spare your miserable life tonight," Deathstroke said dryly and sent Iruka reeling with a punch to the face.

" Iruka-sensei!" a small girl yelped from the doorway as Deathstroke quickly looked up to find a small girl gripping her kunai with fear.

Upon further examination, he saw that the girl had a fair complexion and straight shoulder-length onyx hairstyle. She also sported a pair of red-rimmed glasses which framed her onyx eyes while wearing a simple yellow nightgown.

" Sarada! I told you to stay inside!" Iruka grimaced in pain as the young ninja ran to his aid and started nursing his bruised cheek.

" Is this your daughter Iruka? I didn't know you were married," he mused but Sarada merely glared spitefully at Deathstroke and clenched her fists.

" You hurt Iruka-sensei! What did he ever do to you?" she looked angry at the mercenary who towered over her and frowned.

" She looks really familiar…..Those eyes and that hair colour…Could it be? No, I must be crazy because Sasuke's kids would probably look as deranged as their father," Naruto thought to himself.

" Chocho is already fast asleep but I sneaked out to look for you when I heard someone enter the garden," Sarada smiled at Iruka .

" Sarada was it? You look very much like someone I know,"

Sarada stiffened and Iruka quickly executed some hand signs. "Fire Release: Fireball Jutsu! Sarada! Wake Chocho up and alert the village!" Iruka called out as Deathstroke found himself engulfed in flames but his armour was fire-proof.

" Little girl! Take one more step away from me and I will kill your friend," Deathstroke declared and held his Promethium sword against Iruka's throat. Sarada froze in her tracks and began shaking with fear.

" Iruka sensei, I can't…."

" Just go Sarada! I'll be fine! Get Chocho and yourself to safety!" Iruka cried out in desperation as Deathstroke challenged the little shinobi who was at a loss.

Sarada stood her ground and shook her head. " No! I won't run away. This is the assassin that everyone has been talking about for the past month. I can't let this man take another one of us! He has killed uncle Neji and injured Kakashi-sensei. What do you want from us?" she glared at Naruto who released Iruka and placed a foot on his chest, pinning him down to the cobble path.

" Sarada, who are your parents?" he asked calmly as Iruka looked pleadingly at the little girl who adjusted her glasses and glared defiantly at Naruto.

" Genma and Shizune….." Iruka burst out in frustration. " Please Deathstroke, she has done nothing wrong!" he pleaded as Naruto remained silent and knocked Iruka out cold with a kick to the face.

" Remember my warning, little girl. Walk away from me and I will slaughter your friend right before your very eyes," he said cruelly and walked towards Sarada who inched closer to him before catching him by surprise with an explosive kunai to the face.

As Naruto's mask exploded, Sarada took the opportunity to run back into the house but a gloved hand already grabbed her arm and threw her across the lawn.

" You're a little feisty one, aren't you? Miniature explosives don't work on me kiddo, because this armour is built for war," he chuckled as Sarada activated her Sharingan.

" He has no chakra to sense? Who is this man?" she mentally cursed and dodged his attacks with ease. Deathstroke drew his sword and just tapped his foot.

" Looks like Iruka did lie to me after all, that piece of shit. You possess the Sharingan as well so that must mean, your father is Sasuke Uchiha, am I right? This little turn of event just made my life much easier," he chuckled and decapitated the unconscious Iruka.

Naruto made a grab for her but she used the wall as leverage and sent the blonde mercenary reeling with a deft kick to his head.

" You killed Iruka-sensei!" she cried out in frustration and anguish and sent him staggering with another kick to his head.

" Shannaro!" Sarada yelled and threw another punch towards Naruto which caused him to lose his breathe but nothing more. However, he was getting more and more intrigued by this little girl who had just uttered his deceased fiancée's famous verbal tic. He slowly stood up but was met with a wave of senbons embedding themselves in his mask before Sarada swept his legs beneath him, causing him to trip and fall.

" Those senbons as infused with poison so good luck trying to fight while your nervous system slowly breaks down," she sniffed as she turned to walk away but Naruto just pulled the senbons out one by one and laughed.

" You're pretty skilled at shurikenjutsu, Sarada. You have talent and potential to be a fearsome shinobi," Deathstroke praised her before dodging her punch and giving a punch to the gut which effectively ended her resistance.

Sarada felt the tears well up in her eyes as she tried to control the searing pain that was spreading like wildfire throughout her lower body.

" If you want to live, you will tell me all about your father and his whereabouts," he said gruffly and held her by the scruff.

" Never! Dad is out of town but when he comes back tomorrow, he is going to slice you in half once I tell him that you punched me!," Sarada groaned as Naruto ignored her and slapped her face.

" That is no way to talk to your elders. No doubt that you look remarkably similar to your father but there is something about you which just doesn't sit right with me. You said shannaro…..you have no right to be using that catchphrase. Have some respect for the dead will you?" he growled as Sarada wore a look of rage.

" How dare you?! Mom isn't dead you psychopath! She's alive and well and awaiting dad's return tomorrow. I'm just having a sleepover with Chocho in Iruka sensei's house," she hissed as Naruto's eyes nearly popped out from his mask.

" What did you just say?! Your mother is Sakura Haruno!? And she is alive and well? And waiting for Sasuke's return?" Deathstroke looked incredulous at the raven haired girl who just turned away.

" I take lies regarding Sakura very personally, young lady. Unless you plan on pissing me off even further, I suggest that you start bleating the truth."

" I swear to you...I'm not lying" she sighed.

Deathstroke slowly scrutinized Sarada's features and mannerisms again and as time waned, the pieces began to fall in place. This girl…..was Sakura and Sasuke's daughter but he watched Sakura die in his arms five years ago…

Was this whole thing a dream?

A farfetched hallucination which preyed on his deepest regrets and fears?

Maybe he was in a coma…..

No, Naruto knew that this was reality and somehow, Sakura had come back to life and married Sasuke. Naruto handcuffed Sarada's hands together and slung across on his shoulder.

" Take me to your mother and I will let you go. I have no business with you."

" And if I refuse?"

" Then you can watch me drag the rest of your friends out here and cut off their heads one by one, just as I did to Iruka. Your call, Sarada," Naruto said as she just looked helplessly at the dark room where Chocho was sleeping peacefully.

Eventually, Sarada closed her eyes and sighed.

" Fine but please don't hurt anyone else and you have to promise not to harm mom! Promise me that!" Sarada wiped the hot tears that were streaming down her face.

Naruto looked hesitantly at Sarada and dried her eyes gently with a piece of gauze from his utility belt before giving a silent nod.

" Yes, I promise not to lay a finger on your mother."

**A/N Hi guys! Thank you for bearing with me and I apologize for the months of waiting for an update but I have been really busy lately. For those who have not read the spinoff manga of Naruto, Sarada is the "daughter" of Sakura and Sasuke but people are still wondering whether her biological mother may be Karin due to the similar features. But for this story, I'm assuming that Sarada is the biological daughter of Sasuke and Sakura so if you disagree with me, please don't flame me. This is all just a story and its non-cannon anyway. Don't forget to review and tell me what you think. Suggestions and constructive criticisms are always welcomed.**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Naruto handcuffed Sarada's hands together and slung her across her shoulder without any resistance but he did admit that he found her mildly terrified visage to be quite pitiful. He shrugged it off and called Jade who was busy burying the corpses of Yamato and Sai at the outskirts of Konoha.

" Jade? Come in, Jade!" Naruto spoke through his in built communication earpiece.

Jade stopped her shovelling and picked up the walkie-talkie in irritation.

" Yes, Naruto? Do you need me to bury their pet animals as well? Since Jason and I have been doing nothing but playing undertaker," she said irately but Naruto wasn't in the mood for her petty grouses.

" I'm sorry for assigning you both to graveyard duty but you can stop now. Listen, I need Jason and you to infiltrate the village and head to your respective battle stations but do not engage in battle unless necessary because I need you both to be at full strength when Sasuke arrives. Tell Jason to set up a sniper at position Delta. I want you to be shadowing me and act as the eyes at the back of my head. It's 0600 hours now so make sure you guys reach your respective destinations by 0700 hours," Naruto instructed the Vietnamese assassin who nodded and cut the line.

She walked back to Jason who had a look of satisfaction on his face as he scooped the last pile of soil onto the barely visible bodies.

" Naruto wants you to set up a sniper at Delta but you are not to engage in battle until further instructions have been given. Geez, I sound like such a mindless soldier when I put it that way," Jade laughed and tossed the Red Hood his duffel bag.

" Actually, you sound more like a little parrot than a soldier. Get your stuff and heave your skinny ass to the village before the boss gets pissed," Jason snorted and started walking ahead while Cheshire gathered her belongings.

Sarada fell asleep on his shoulder as Naruto quietly made his way to the Uchiha household. The housewas built on a gentle rise that sloped gradually away on every side; in front to the wide plain, dotted with huge gum trees and great grey box groves, and at the back, after you had passed through the well-kept vegetable garden and orchard, to a long lagoon, bordered with trees and fringed with tall bulrushes and waving reeds.

Naruto gently nudged the little girl awake with a shrug before setting her down in front of the pond. Sarada stifled a yawn before perking up as the feeling of returning to her home excited her.

" Stay here while I talk to your mother," Naruto told her and rapped on the front door of the Uchiha household.

Sarada's heart began pounding against her chest, as the mental image of Iruka's decapitation was still fresh in her head. He had promised not to harm her mother but there was no telling whether the masked mercenary would honour his end of the bargain in return for leading him here.

Naruto tapped his foot impatiently as he heard the sound of footsteps growing louder and closer before a familiar sight greeted him.

Naruto's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets and his mouth would have reached the cobble ground if it weren't for his mask. He was utterly shocked and he could not believe the sight in front of him.

His ex-wife was clearly alive and healthy and she hadn't aged much since her presumed death. He longed to caress her face with his gloved fingers- trace those luscious lips and certify that this wasn't just another hallucination.

Sakura on the other hand tackled him to the ground and pressed a kunai against his throat- although she did not know that her weapon could not penetrate his armour.

" Who are you and why have you come here?" Sakura said in threatening voice as Naruto snapped out of his reverie and gripped her wrist.

" Sakura…..it's been five years. Is that anyway to greet your old fiancé? By knocking him to the ground and pressing a kunai against his throat? Tell me, when did things so south between us?" Naruto said calmly as Sakura's jade orbs widened and she dropped her kunai in shock.

" Naruto? No! You're lying! Naruto disappeared five years ago after a mission and how do you know where I live, you fraud?"

Sakura threw a punch across his face and sent him rolling across the lawn much to Sarada's delight.

Naruto slowly picked himself up and removed his mask. Sakura lowered her fighting stance and she felt butterflies in her stomach.

" It's not possible. Naruto, is that really you?"

" Damn right it is, Haruno," Naruto replied coldly and rubbed the spot where Sakura's fist had connected.

Sakura just shook her head in disbelief and opened her arms for a hug. " It's been so long, Naruto. How have you been?"

" Cut the crap, Sakura. You are supposed to be dead! I watched you die in my arms five years ago during that mission with Kakashi and the whole village mourned for you! And now, you act as if nothing has ever happened between us- the engagement, Sasuke's revenge and even the relationship we had!" Naruto burst out in anger as the colour in Sarada's face slowly drained.

" Naruto, please listen to me! I..was framed…." But she was cut off as Naruto grabbed Sarada by the scruff and tossed her at her feet.

" Sarada! What happened? You were supposed to be at Iruka's house together with Chocho?" Sakura yelled and quickly broke her handcuffs and removed the scotch tape from her mouth.

" Mom, this man killed Iruka and he threatened to kill all my friends if I didn't bring him to you. I'm really sorry," Sarada's voice started trembling as she just collapsed into her mother's arms.

" Naruto, you bastard! You killed your old teacher, the very one who showed you the meaning of friendship and then, you attacked her? What has gotten into you?"Sakura yelled at the blonde mercenary.

" You weren't framed. You lied to me and staged your death. I had a hunch that this was the case after Iruka didn't want me to find out that you were alive after all. In addition, he knew all along that you were still alive all along, in fact, the whole damn village probably does. You conspired with them to frame me and get me exiled. I think I'm beginning to see the whole picture clearly now," Naruto said quietly.

" Please answer my two questions and I will leave Sarada and you alone. After all, I made a promise to your daughter and a mercenary never goes back on his word."

Sakura just turned away and stood in front of Sarada. " No…you killed Neji and you hurt Kaka-sensei as well. I can't forgive you for that. This village has been rocked ever since you resurfaced as this masked mercenary and began hunting down Hidden Leaf shinobi! Do you know how many men we have lost because of you?" she looked angry with him.

" I really don't give a shit because they were in my way and I was just doing what any other normal mercenary would do. So are you going to answer my questions or not? Go ahead and oblige your ex- fiancé-it's the least you can do after you ruined his life," he sneered and wore back his mask.

" Mom, please answer his questions because he has a point. I struck a deal with him and if he intends to honour his word, so will I," Sarada sighed to Sakura who just ruffled Sarada's hair and turned back to Naruto.

" First, I want the reason why you faked your death and how it relates to the village's plan. Secondly, why didn't you come and look for me if you knew that I was missing? I thought that you and I were supposed to get married," he sighed and sat down on a chair.

Sakura chewed her lip and clenched her fists. She couldn't face him like this….No, she felt as if that she would lose all her honour if she revealed the brutal truth to him but this man was the man she used to love. He sacrificed so much for her and yet she broke his heart.

" Naruto, I started cheating on you with Sasuke after we got engaged. He wasn't planning to kill me and he told me that he wanted me to help him repopulate his clan. At first, I thought he was crazy and I wanted to tell you but one night, he sneaked into the village and seduced me in my own apartment. You would argue and say that he isn't capable of such actions but believe me; he made me fall in love with him all over again. Sasuke told Tsunade that he wanted to come back and marry me but she opposed the idea. She didn't want to hurt you, Naruto, but she couldn't have the Sharingan in the hands of another village as well," Sakura muttered as Naruto remained silent while the feeling of apoplectic anger brew inside of him.

"The guilt was eating at me and I really couldn't face you whenever we would talk about moving in together. I loved you so much but I also loved him…Naruto, I never wanted to hurt you and we were going to get married but he caught me in a vulnerable state and I….." Naruto put up his hand to stop her.

" Thank you and I guess that you faked your death and made it look as if I was the one who failed to protect you. So you go running back to Sasuke after he fucks you a few times and tell you that he wants to use you as his baby machine? I just lost all respect for you- as a shinobi and an individual. Your unscrupulous behaviour disgusts me and I'm glad that Sarada gets to know the real Sakura. I'm sorry that you have a disgraceful mother and a selfish father, Sarada, but if you ever decide to leave this shit village and seek to become a real warrior, feel free to look for me," the mercenary said pointedly and turned to leave the two girls.

Sarada felt her mouth go dry and she continued staring at the back of Naruto who was calmly making his way out of the Uchiha compound.

" Where do you think you're going, Naruto? I think its only fair that you tell me how you became this hired killer and what your real purpose is," Sakura frowned as Naruto paused and just gave a condescending chuckle.

" I go by Deathstroke now, lady. And I don't give information for free unless you're a paying client. As for my purpose, he is about to arrive an minute now," he mused and glanced at the horrified visage of Sakura.

" You're crazy if you think that you can kill him. My husband will tear you to shreds!" Sakura yelled at him.

Deathstroke was about to give a scathing reply when his walkie-talkie started vibrating. He picked it up and answered it.

" Yes?"

" The target has entered the village and he is approaching your location. What do you want us to do now, Naruto?" Jade whispered as she silently saw the walking figure of Sasuke walking through the throngs of people en route to his house.

" I want Jason and you to buy me some time and take out their reinforcements while I take Sasuke head on. As soon as you've disposed of them, feel free to help me take down the man who has been the reason for the formation of our team."

" Obviously, we are going to help you take out this lunatic," she scoffed.

" One more thing, Cheshire. Try not to get killed. I don't want to have to explain to Zatanna why I'm returning to Gotham alone," he chuckled and cut the line.

Naruto took a deep breath and waited for Sasuke at the entrance of the compound but to no avail. Naruto furrowed his eyebrows and slowly walked out onto the streets before he felt a sharp pain in his lower abdomen.

He looked down to see the bloodied tip of a katana emerging from the front of his armour and he coughed out some blood before drawing his Promethium sword and slashing behind him.

Sasuke removed his sword and dodged gracefully before flicking the blood of his katana.

" Sasuke, I was worried that you had stood me up. I see that you're still as vicious as ever," Deathstroke chided him and pointed his sword towards the onyx haired shinobi.

" Naruto, you shouldn't have showed your face in this village again. You have no purpose or use for the village. Was killing your friends really the best you could do to vent out your frustration on us? You're pathetic," Sasuke said calmly.

" And you're still deluded. My only purpose here is to put an end to your miserable life. I always thought that we were friends and you would never go so far as to turn the whole village against me but I guess I was wrong. You haven't changed one bit anyway. No doubt you're a formidable opponent but beyond that, you are not even worth the dirt on my shoe!" Naruto grinned and charged towards Sasuke.

They were equally matched and neither could land a hit on each other as the sounds of metal clashing filled the air. Naruto got the upper hand and made a gash on Sasuke's chest while the latter stabbed him in the chest. Sasuke winced in pain as he gingerly touched the bloody wound that made a diagonal mark on his chest.

" Get up and stop screwing around. Show me what you've really got and give me a good fight!" Naruto jeered at Sasuke who merely smirked and sheathed his katana.

" Naruto, looks like you've grown stronger but barely. I wouldn't want to waste my chakra on a pathetic has-been like you but I can't let you leave this village alive after you have found out my secret."

" Talk all you want but I'm not going to go down easily and I'm just sympathetic that Itachi's efforts will be in vain after I kill you. Tsunade might get pissed but I don't care because Sarada has already awoken the Sharingan and she will be the right one to repopulate the clan, and not her miserable bitter father," Naruto said and Sasuke grit his teeth in anger.

" Do not bring my brother into this! His sacrifices are not something you can so casually pass judgement on!" Sasuke's voice rose, and in a blink of an eye, appeared behind Naruto and slashed his back with his katana. Naruto coughed out a wad of blood and dropped to his knees as the blade managed to perforate his Kevlar armour and leave a deep cut across his back.

He clenched his fists and drew his twin Berettas- emptying their magazines on Sasuke who melted them to sludge with a fireball jutsu.

" I guess guns are too slow to work on someone as fast as him..I need to come up with a strategy…" but his thoughts were interrupted as Sasuke sent him crashing against the wall with a swift kick to the ribs.

Naruto grunted in pain as Sasuke slowly walked towards him and pointed the tip of his katana at his face.

" You really have grown pathetic, Naruto. Looks like you've sealed off your chakra and consigned yourself to a life of a regular civilian. I still can't comprehend how someone in your state could have taken down Neji and Kakashi. No matter, I'll show you the error of your ways and maybe teach you to mind your own damn business," Sasuke said coldly and prepared to decapitate the mercenary.

Sarada winced and turned away to avoid witnessing a potential gruesome death at the hands of her father when she heard the villagers gasping. Curiosity got the better of her and she slowly walked out of the pillar where she hid. She could not believe her eyes as she saw Naruto's gloved hand gripped onto Sasuke's katana just as it was about to complete its full swing.

" What? I can't seem to move it…" Sasuke growled and tried to pry it from his gloved grip but Naruto increased his pressure on his grip and finally shattered the blade into a thousand pieces. Taking advantage of Sasuke's surprise, he quickly sent the shinobi sprawling with a hard crack to the jaw- courtesy of his heavily padded elbow.

" You caught my blade with one hand with such speed that it should have cut your hand in half and yet, you barely bleed?" Sasuke narrowed his eyes and got up again.

" It's true that I don't have my chakra any more and you probably outmatch me in skill and speed but there is one thing that you probably don't have which is the readiness to stake your life in this battle!" Naruto declared and regained his fighting stance.

Sasuke scoffed and threw the hilt of his katana away.

" I guess you haven't changed your penchant for running your mouth with empty words, Naruto."

Sasuke closed his eyes and activated his Mangekyo sharingan but he frowned and did a backflip as a bullet whizzed through the air and narrowly missed the target.

" You weren't kidding when you said that he had a sixth sense," Jason mused and emerged from the shadows with Cheshire in tow.

" You idiot! I told you not to come out until I gave you the signal!" Naruto sighed.

" Interesting….none of them have any chakra so I can't read their movements. No matter, if they aren't shinobi, they have no chance of defeating me," Sasuke thought and concentrated his chakra to create his Susanoo.

Purple waves of chakra began encircling Sasuke and they began to take the form of a gargantuan skeletal form of a humanoid, with the user safely within its ribcage. Naruto cursed and turned to his two teammates.

" Whatever you do, make sure that you don't get hit by those black flames because those flames can't be put out by normal means and will only cease once you've been reduced to nothing but ashes. If only your clothes gets hit, take it off immediately!" he said in a low voice as Susanoo began hurling balls of black flames towards their hiding spot.

" Stop hiding Naruto. You're wasting my time," Sasuke boomed as Susanoo destroyed another shoplot.

Naruto jumped out and drew his sword and nodded at Cheshire. " I'll take Sasuke and the right arm. You concentrate on keeping the left one at bay while Jason will be applying pressure onto the centre of the Susanoo. We only have one chance so buy me enough time to get close to him."

Susanoo aimed a punch at Naruto but the giant fist was blocked by Naruto's sword. He proceeded to parry the fist away and slice at the wrist. Meanwhile, Jade nimbly dodged the beast's crushing blows and hacked at the arm with her own katana.

Susanoo sent Naruto to the ground with a forceful punch as the chakra beast continued pummelling the mercenary. Naruto coughed out another gob of blood as he rolled away before the purple fist connected with the ground again. He picked up his sword and began slashing at Susanoo's arm until he could see visible cracks appearing.

" Those fools. Susanoo can't be heavily wounded by attacks using basic swords and katanas," Sasuke sneered and made Susanoo bat Jade away with another sweeping fist.

" I have to get closer…" Naruto muttered but his eyes widened as Susanoo formed a sword around its palm and stabbed Deathstroke through the chest.

" Naruto!" screamed Jade as Susanoo pounded her to the ground with ease.

Naruto gave a hidden smirk before attaching an ultrasonic bomb on Susanoo's arm without Sasuke's realization. " Nice shot, Sasuke. I wonder how long I still have to live before I bleed to death," he said aloud as Sasuke merely instructed Susanoo to twist its blade that was still in Naruto's body.

Naruto clenched his teeth in pain as the chakra sword began severing his organs. He glanced at the bruise and battered Cheshire before activating the ultrasonic bomb.

" Jade! The acoustic filter!" Naruto yelled at the assassin who nodded and slowly activated her protective earplugs.

Ultrasonic waves having a frequency of 20 kHz were emitted from the bomb and within seconds, Sasuke began to stagger and his ears began to bleed.

" A sound jutsu? No it can't be!" Sasuke growled and began gripping his head as the nauseous feeling began taking over him. His eardrums were bleeding profusely and were close to bursting.

" Beauty of not knowing about modern weapons," Jason said before firing a warhead grenade using an RPG from his hiding place.

Susanoo put up both it's hands to block it but the grenade managed to pierce the weak points which had been created by both Naruto and Jade. A massive explosion, which caused a minor tremor, flooded the vicinity as Susanoo was destroyed while Sasuke was flung to the ground.

Crimson liquid began streaming down his face as Sasuke slowly got up. Naruto struggled to stay on his feet due to the deep wound that Susanoo had made but his accelerated healing factor aided his recovery.

" Such underhanded tactics do not impress me, Naruto. I now realize why you allowed yourself to be stabbed so easily- it was so you could get near enough to execute your attack. However, you're going to bleed to death before you can land another blow on me. Susanoo made sure to aim near your vital organs," Sasuke said and charged towards Naruto but he had to dodge Jade's kick and sent Jason staggering with a punch to the face.

" You little fucker!" Jason cursed and swung another punch at Sasuke who sidestepped him and calmly tapped his shoulder before stepping back.

Jason suddenly found himself bound to a tree by steel chains as vultures began to feed on him. He screamed in pain and trashed about but to no avail as the excruciating pain continued on.

" Genjutsu but none of us has any chakra?" Naruto glanced at Sasuke.

" That's true and that is also why I can only cast simple genjustu on you three since I can't manipulate your chakra," Sasuke chuckled as Jason dropped his gun and began trashing around in pain.

" Leave him alone you sick fuck!" Jade yelled and slashed at him but she soon found herself feeling drowsy as he brushed past her. Her vision became blurry as her surroundings became nothing more than abstract shapes floating around. Sasuke glanced at his other victim before whipping out his kunai and preparing to stab her between the eyes.

Naruto barely pushed Cheshire out of harm's way as the kunai pierced his breastplate. Sasuke narrowed his eyes but he lost his vision momentarily as Naruto's fist came into contact with his face.

Sasuke staggered back but Naruto quickly grabbed him by his yukata and drove his fist into his nose. Sasuke stumbled but Naruto's iron grip did not loosen and he sent another forceful punch blistering the Uchiha's torso. The villagers couldn't believe their eyes as the mercenary was raining punches on one of their most powerful warriors.

" His punches just grew a hell of a lot heavier and his speed is making it difficult for me to evade them," Sasuke breathed heavily as he dodged another punch and slammed his leg into the side of Naruto's head. Naruto resisted the urge to drop to the ground and he finally sent his old teammate crumbling to the floor with a vicious uppercut.

" Sasuke, this is the price you pay for underestimating me. It's a shame that you didn't know about my enhanced physiology, intellect, reflexes and stamina. Now get up and show me what your eyes can do!" he roared as he drew his pistol and began shooting the limp body of Sasuke.

Naruto emptied the hollow magazines and slowly walked over to the motionless body. He gave it a little kick but there was no response.

" Damn that son of a…" he stopped halfway as the bloodied body slowly vanished into thin air .

" Did you really think that I was going to just lie down and let you shoot me? Have you become so inept that you can't even tell that you've been fighting an illusion for all this time?" Sasuke appeared behind Deathstroke and folded his arms.

He slowly turned around but he dropped his pistols as the bloodied bodies of his two accomplices lay behind Sasuke. Naruto felt his mouth go dry and he drew his sword once more.

" What did you do to them? I swear, I will rip off your fucking head if you have killed them!" he yelled and charged towards Sasuke who simply vanished into thin air and appeared on a tree branch.

"They were weak and as such, have to suffer the consequences of sticking their noses where it doesn't belong. You brought death upon them and now, I wonder if their restless souls will haunt you as much as Jiraiya's!" Sasuke gave a maniacal grin but his smile slowly turned into a frown as he saw Naruto put the gun to his stomach.

" This is a genjutsu, Sasuke. I can't dispel it by normal means since I have no chakra left. So, the only way for me to break it is by evoking a severe sense of shock or pain to the system. Nothing like a little lead to wake me up from my slumber," he grinned and shot himself.

Naruto hacked and dropped his gun as blood began seeping through his armour. The dark red liquid stained his gloved hand as he adjusted his utility belt. Sasuke growled and darted towards the occupied mercenary. " What use is there if you're already on the brink of death!"

Deathstroke remained calm and raised the sword above his head- its blade held an evil glint. As metal prepared to meet steel once more, the sound of gunshot rang through the air.

Sasuke's red orbs widened as the bright red spot at the middle of his white yukata began to increase in size. The circular bloodstain began stretching across the fabric as Naruto turned to see Jason's half conscious figure, which was propped against the wall with a sniper in his arm.

" Well, sorry boss but I guess I missed his heart. He banged me up pretty good," Jason gave a drunken drawl before swaying and ultimately dropping to the ground with an audible thud.

" No, no, no! Don't you dare die on me, Jason!" Naruto shouted as Sasuke executed some hand signs before he could reach Jason.

" Fire style: Phoneix Fireball!"

Countless fireballs began raining on Jason before another deafening explosion engulfed the area.

" Jas…Jason!" Naruto coughed and tried to blow away the smoke but Sasuke widened his eyes and placed his hands together.

" This is the end of the line for you, Naruto. I'll send you to the deepest pits of hell! Mangekyou Sharingan: Amaterasu!" Sasuke grit his teeth as black flames began to engulf the masked mercenary. The pitch-black flames licked greedily at his armour much to Sasuke's delight but he dropped on one knee as his right eye began to bleed. The technique usually guaranteed death for the victim but not without a price, which was the overexertion of the use of his Sharingan.

Sasuke's eyes widened as he saw Naruto still standing tall, even though he was bathed in the fires of Hell. " It's impossible! Amaterasu burns everything in it's path until it is reduced to ashes. Why won't you just die already?!" Sasuke roared and continued nursing his right eye.

Naruto silently thanked the Nth metal, which made up 60% of his suit. This metal protects the wearer from elements and speeds the healing of wounds, increases their strength, and protects them from extreme temperature. Although the flames were slowly eating through his armour, the ridiculously amount of heat had been partially negated and his suit was helping to increase the speed of the healing of the burns.

" Why won't I just die? To answer your question, it's because I haven't completed my mission yet," he chuckled and picked up his sword.

" Ten years of friendship and this is how you fuck it up? Have all those years together mean nothing to you? I was willing to chase you to the ends of the world to bring you back home and you bite the hand that feeds you. Was that how your brother felt when you tried to take his head? You're nothing but a selfish psychopath!" Naruto sneered at him.

Sasuke trembled with fury and slowly formed his lightning blade on his right hand. " You think that I wanted you to find me?"

" Sakura wanted to find you as well. She was crazy enough to forgive you but I know the real reason behind her actions," Naruto retorted and pointed his sword at the blinding figure in front of him.

Sasuke glanced at the still burning mercenary and dashed towards him with never seen before tenacity and animosity. Naruto took a small step back and gripped his sword with both of his hands and positioned it to his side, a stance perhaps executed in hopes of splitting the Sharingan user open like a goose.

The sound of flesh tearing and bones breaking filled the air accompanied by the acrid smell of charred flesh as the dust encasing the two warriors slowly cleared.

" Dad?" Sarada timidly called out and approached them step-by-step. " Sarada, come back here now! It's too dangerous," Sakura screamed at her daughter.

Naruto shivered as the lightning blade had perforated his armour and managed to impale right through his vital organs. He felt his breathing become more laboured and difficult but nothing could surpass the searing pain that slowly seeped through his body. Blood was slowly trickling down his mouth and stained his orange mask purple while his navy blue suit sported a large crimson spot.

" I told you, Naruto. You're still weak and you will never beat me in a fight," Sasuke whispered into his ear as he slowly plunged his lightning blade deeper into his chest. A gut-wrenching sound was heard as bone separated from tissue. Driving through his heart and lungs, Naruto cried out in agony as the searing pain dominated all his other senses. He grasped at his chest involuntarily and dropped to his knees.

" Arrogance and overconfidence usually leads to your downfall," Naruto wheezed before activating the shock mechanism in his suit. His suit began to crackle as Sasuke was soon electrocuted by millions of volts, severing his nervous system and scorching his internal organs. Naruto proceeded to pull him into a hug although that meant pushing the blade further into his body. Sasuke was utterly stunned as he felt himself being crushed by his embrace.

" Jade, take the shot!" Naruto yelled at the assassin who picked up his pistol from the ground and aimed the barrel at the back of Sasuke's head.

" You know the impact that this pistol of yours has? The bullet will hit you too after exiting his skull. It might find its way in the middle of your eyes," Jade said quietly.

" I really couldn't give a damn about that right now, Cheshire. This is the only option that we have left so I need you to pull that trigger. This fire has already eaten through my suit and is burning away my flesh, while my vital organs have been severed. One more bullet to the head wouldn't hurt me…." He muttered as his vision started to blur but he caught a glimpse of Sarada's frightened expression before he briefly closed his eyes.

" Sarada, you will probably hate me for killing your father but you must know that long ago, I used to be his best friend and was engaged to your mother. You could have been blonde and even prettier but your mother betrayed me to run away with your father. Whether you want to believe me or the lies that your mother has been telling you is entirely your decision but just remember, the choices that we make will define who we are," Naruto told the little girl slowly before turning back to Jade.

" Jade, just go ahead and fucking blow our brains out already."

" Father never had any best friends. The only friends that he had were Jugo, Suigetsu and Karin. That's what mother told me before. I know that he may have wronged you in the past but please don't kill him! We barely see each other and to think that I'll never see him again…."

Instantly, a shot rang out. A low guttural groan was heard from Sasuke as the bullet exited his head as fast as it had entered and finally settled permanently in between Naruto's eyes. Naruto felt the air leave his chest and he fell to the ground along with the lifeless body of Sasuke. Grasping for air, he coughed and tasted blood on his tongue. Staring out through blurry eyes, the last thing before his world suddenly went black was his teammates frantic motions and Sakura running towards him.

Laying the clip in front of her, Cheshire watched a pool of blood grow and encircle the spot where Sasuke lay. Weak and disoriented, she laid her head on her arm and closed her eyes.

" We need to help him now, Jade. He is barely alive and if we don't get him to the nearest hospital…." Jason's voice trailed off as he gently carried Naruto bridal style and approached Sakura.

" Excuse me but this man needs medical attention. Could you please show us to the nearest hospital," Jason frantically asked her.

Sakura shifted nervously and closed her eyes. " I'm sorry but I can't help traitors."

" What? You little bitch, have you no mercy for the wounded?" he upbraided her in rage.

" He killed my husband and my friends! Do you really expect me to let this killing machine loose gain?" she screamed in frustration as Sarada gently placed a small hand on her mother's waist.

" Please mother, we don't just leave our friends out to die. Especially one who used to be your fiancé and father's best friend," she mumbled earning equally shocked looks from the trio.

Sakura stifled a sob before pulling her daughter in for a hug. " He told you didn't he, that idiot. It was never my intention to drive him to his own demise," she sobbed.

" I don't actually know the whole story but I think that you still have a choice to make things right with him. He killed father but…."

" But your father deserved it. Hell, your mother stabbed him in the back like a typical Gotham thug. This is none of our concern but from what he told me, he never stopped loving you. That's why he was so hell-bent on returning here. He sought to exact revenge on that man for killing you but apparently, you played him out, you harlot," Jade cut in coldly.

" Mother, this man…..he needs immediate medical attention."

Sakura dried her eyes before gesturing for them to follow her to the hospital. Jason and Cheshire exchanged gratified looks and watched the determined little girl race alongside her mother en route to their destination.

" Naruto, please hang on because I will save you. I owe you an apology for hurting you so much," Sakura thought to herself and burst through the white doors of the hospital.

**A/N Hey guys, I'm sorry if this chapter was more action than plot orientated but every story needs a huge fight at the end. I'm sad to announce that the end of this wonderful story is near and will probably end in one or two more chapters. I thank you all for the continuous support and reviews, which help me to keep going. I'll see you guys soon and please leave a review after you're done or maybe even suggestion on what you would like to see.**


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